A manhunt is underway in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam for a gunman suspected of shooting two people at separate locations on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at a residential property on Heiman Dullaertplein, and another victim was shot in a classroom at the Erasmus University Medical Center on Rochussenlaan.
A mass police presence secured the medical educational facility at around 3:30 p.m. local time and oversaw a large-scale evacuation of the premises amid reports that several fires had broken out on site.
? DRINGEND: Enorme brand uitgebroken in een lokaal van #ErasmusMC! Beelden zijn schokkend ?.
Hulpdiensten zijn ter plekke. Blijf uit de buurt en zorg voor elkaar, #Rotterdam!
Erasmus MC pic.twitter.com/OW0NS3uh7u
— Dr. Avinash Dinmohamed (@ADinmohamed) September 28, 2023“Due to a potentially unsafe situation, we ask people not to come to the scene of the incident,” said a fire safety spokesperson.
“The shooter shot someone in the Erasmus MC classroom. All concern is now focused on this. DSI is looking for the shooter in the Erasmus MC,” a police spokesperson told De Telegraaf newspaper.
Op twee plekken in Rotterdam is vanmiddag geschoten, in een huis aan het Heiman Dulleaertplein en in het Eramus MC. Het ziekenhuis is geëvacueerd, mensen kwamen met handen op hun hoofd naar buiten. Een AT is naar binnen. pic.twitter.com/YCuk4zOl04
— Joey Bremer (@010fotograaf) September 28, 2023In a social media post, Rotterdam police confirmed the gunman was still at large and provided a description of the main suspect provided by eyewitnesses to the attacks.
“The perpetrator may be on his way on a motorcycle. Wears combat clothes, is tall, black hair, mid-20s, backpack and headphones, with a handgun,” the police wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Dader is mogelijk op weg op motorfiets. Draagt gevechtskleding,is lang, zwart haar, midden 20, rugzak en headphone, met handvuurwapen. Ziet u hem. Bel 112! (2/2)
— Politie Eenheid Rotterdam eo (@POL_Rotterdam) September 28, 2023Unusually, the ethnicity of the attacker was not disclosed, leading a number of confused social media users to question why such a seemingly important defining feature was omitted from the description.
“Why isn’t skin color mentioned here? It seems to me to be a very important part of the description,” wrote one user in response to the police description.
Several police helicopters hovered above the scene facility conducting searches and an air ambulance was called to tend to the victims.
At least two people have been injured, but their condition has not been revealed by the authorities at this time.
This is a developing story.
