A police operation is underway to find a shooter who opened fire in a classroom at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. So far, it is known that one person was injured at the hospital, and two others were injured at a connected incident in a nearby house. One of the injured people is believed to be a teacher from the local university, a bystander told NOS.
A police SWAT team was called in shortly after the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon. According to NOS, the SWAT team entered the building in an attempt to find the suspect, who has since fled the scene on a motorbike, dressed in camouflage.
The suspect is said to be tall, with dark hair, and is approximately in his mid-20s. The police are asking people who see the suspect to contact them by calling 112 immediately.
The shooting at the hospital is not the only incident to have taken place in Rotterdam today. An incident that reports say is connected to the hospital shooting also took place in a house around 1,5 kilometres away from the Erasmus Medical Centre, where one person was also injured.
The police are urging people not to go to the hospital, and many patients currently in the hospital are outside the buildings waiting for permission to go back inside. The entrance to the hospital is currently closed, and while some students have been told to leave their classrooms, it is understood that other areas of the hospital remain locked down until the police are able to clear the scene.
Update: The police have now arrested a 32 year-old suspect and are seeking to understand the motive behind the two shootings. Three victims are known to have since died.
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