Today, a rare outbreak of gun violence occurred in the Netherlands, as a high school biology teacher was shot and critically wounded by one of his students before the attacker fled the scene. The victim, who is also the school’s deputy principal at Stevincollege, was taken by helicopter to the hospital after being shot in the head. Police spokeswoman Dianna Wezenberg confirmed that no other injuries were reported.
At this time, there is no additional information on the victim’s condition, but one of his students attested to his likeable and gentle manner. Witnesses at the scene reported that the 17-year-old assailant, who is of Turkish descent, was known to be aggressive and that the school has regular police visits. Despite occasional fights on the campus, nothing like this had ever occurred before.
A student in the room at the time of the shooting stated that the perpetrator walked into the bustling cafeteria during lunchtime and suddenly shot the teacher in the forehead with one bullet, which was initially believed to be fireworks. The school, which predominantly serves students of Moroccan and Turkish descent, was evacuated, and the surrounding neighborhood was closed off while police conducted their investigation, which included the use of sniffer dogs.
The attacker’s identity has not yet been disclosed, and it is believed that he committed the crime after being suspended for poor behavior a few days prior. The motive for the attack remains unclear.
The incident has ignited public discussion regarding teacher safety and the possibility of implementing additional security measures in schools. Education minister Maria van der Hoeven, who was visiting China, responded to the shooting by labeling it as "incomprehensible and horrible." The national trade union for teachers called the shooting shocking and highlighted that it was the first of its kind in the Netherlands, indicating that violence in society was not limited to schools and its educators. Although the Netherlands boasts rigid gun laws that severely limit access to firearms, school shootings are virtually unheard of, with the previous incident occurring in 1999 in the southern Dutch town of Veghel, where a 17-year-old student, also of Turkish origin, shot and wounded five people, receiving a five-year prison sentence.
