ALPHEN AAN DEN RIJN — 2011 · Major Tragedy
Ridderhof Shopping Centre Shooting
Around midday on 9 April 2011, a 24-year-old man opened fire in the Ridderhof shopping centre in Alphen aan den Rijn. In an attack lasting about three minutes, six people were killed and 17 injured; the gunman then took his own life. He was a member of a shooting club and his weapons were legally licensed, but it emerged that he had a history of mental health problems and psychiatric treatment. The shooting sparked intense debate in the Netherlands over how mental health history is assessed when issuing gun licences, and licensing checks were tightened. In September 2019 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the police had been at fault in issuing the licence.
- Date
- 2011
- Place
- South Holland, Netherlands, Alphen aan den Rijn, NL
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 52.1290, 4.6560 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 9 April 2011, 12:08The attack began at the Ridderhof shopping centre.
- 9 April 2011, 12:11The gunman took his own life; six people had been killed.
- 2011Gun licensing checks were tightened.
- September 2019The Supreme Court ruled that police had erred in issuing the licence.
Sources
- BBC News — Gunman kills six in Netherlands shopping centre bbc.co.uk ↗
- NOS — Schietpartij Alphen eist zevende leven nos.nl ↗
- Wikipedia — Alphen aan den Rijn shopping mall shooting en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC News
- NOS
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.