Erasmus professor who was slaughtered by student gunman in Rotterdam

Pictured: Erasmus medical school professor who was slaughtered in cold blood by disgruntled student gunman in Rotterdam moments after the shooter gunned down a mother and daughter and set their house on fire

• Dutch cops said the suspected shooter is a 32-year-old student at the university
• The suspect shot and killed three people, including a 14-year-old girl
• He was wearing military clothing and a bulletproof vest when he was arrested 

A professor slaughtered by a Dutch student who shot him at the university he taught at has been named and pictured for the first time. 

Jurgen Damen was one of three people killed in a twin shooting in the port city of Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon. 

Terrified students, patients and health workers ran for their lives out of the Erasmus Medical Centre, affiliated with Erasmus University, at around 2pm on Thursday in the port city of Rotterdam. 

A 32-year-old suspect, who has been named as Fouad L. by Dutch media, has been arrested after he allegedly killed a mother and a daughter in their own home and setting it on fire, before travelling to a nearby university and killing 43-year-old Jurgen who worked as a GP and lecturer. 

It is understood that the mother and daughter, who were attacked in their home, lived near the suspected shooter on Heirman Dullaertplein, near the centre of Rotterdam. 

Jurgen Damen (pictured) was one of three people killed in a twin shooting in the port city of Rotterdam on Thursday afternoon

The alleged shooter, who has been named as Fouad L. by Dutch media, killed three people in a shooting spree that took place across Rotterdam

Witnesses to the incident were seen hugging and crying outside the medical faculty 

Jurgen worked as a GP for the Katendrecht Health Center, run by the Zonboog foundation, since 2010. 

In 2013, he worked at Erasmus University’s medical faculty, where he taught medical students. 

He obtained his PhD from the university in 2019, and reportedly ended his speech upon receiving his doctorate with a thanks to his wife, telling her: ‘Maybe with your inexhaustible positive energy it would have been over sooner. 

‘We would probably have invested that energy in holidays and other things that make life beautiful. Thank you for your patience. The world is more beautiful with you, I love you.’

The director of the Zonboog foundation, René Baljon, said: ‘The impact is great, for his family, colleagues, but also for his patients. Jurgen was an amiable and committed general practitioner. He was also a trainer. 

‘Many people in Rotterdam know him. This is also a shock to general practitioner care across the region. We don’t know what the perpetrator’s motive is, but this is horrible.’ 

Rotterdam’s chief prosecutor, Hugo Hillenaar said that the suspected shooter, who has not yet been named, was known to law enforcement as was prosecuted and convicted for abusing his rabbit while drunk in 2021. He was reportedly given a 40-hour community service order for the crime. 

Police have not yet announced a motive for the deadly attack allegedly carried out by the man, who has only been identified at FL by Dutch media. 

When asked whether the suspect has previously been rejected from Erasmus’ medical faculty, Rotterdam’s mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, said that that was a scenario ‘we are taking into account.’ 

Terrified students were seen fleeing the university medical centre after it came under attack from a gunman

Video showed a man being arrested by armed cops after they had stormed the building to see if the shooter was still inside

Police launched a manhunt in the Netherlands after an attacker wearing military clothing opened fire

Erasmus Medical Centre has since reopened its doors for visitors, and said that it will begin readmitting patients from Friday. 

Meanwhile, Erasmus University has cancelled all its planned lessons on Friday and has offered counselling to its students. 

Police said that the shooter will appear before a magistrate on Friday, and will likely be arraigned ‘on Monday or Tuesday.’ 

In one video of the shooting, those fleeing could be heard screaming after a loud bang, while a blaze also broke out inside the building.

Footage later showed a man being arrested by armed cops after they had stormed the building to see if the shooter, described as a tall man wearing combat clothing, was still inside. 

Three people have died in the attack that has shocked the Netherlands

Several people who were at the scene of the attack have since publicly shared their experiences of the horrific incident unfolding. 

Eykha, a medical research biotechnician student at the university, said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Cried for hours. My hands are still shaking. It’s the darkest day of my entire life.’

Kaouther Mouheb, a PhD candidate at the medical faculty, said: ‘After leaving the US for not feeling safe… I did not expect to witness such an incident at my work place in the Netherlands.’

Meanwhile, Dr. Aleksandra Badura, an associate professor at the university, said: ‘I never thought I’d have to worry about an active shooter in the Netherlands but here were are.’

She confirmed that everyone in her lab was safely evacuated. 

Footage shared widely on social media showed scared students sprinting for their lives in Rotterdam

Video purportedly showed a classroom on fire at the medical centre in Rotterdam. It is still reportedly burning

The university hospital came under attack shortly after a shooting at a nearby home which police are also probing. 

Officials had earlier confirmed that at least three people were injured across the shootings in Rotterdam this afternoon. But in an updated statement at 4.30pm they said: ‘The two shooting incidents in Rotterdam resulted in fatalities. We now first inform family and relatives. We will provide further explanation later.’

The unnamed 32-year-old man was arrested under the hospital’s helipad and police were investigating his possible involvement in both shootings. Officers said the shooter was carrying a handgun. 

Dutch media reported that the suspect was previously given a 40-hour community service order for getting drunk and kicking his rabbit, which a vet was forced to put out of its misery. 

He was also sent before a judge for allegedly shooting a pigeon through the chest, though he was acquitted for this due to a lack of evidence. 

He was also sent before a judge for allegedly kicking a dog, though it is not currently known if he was ever convicted for this.  

Dutch cops are currently investigating the home that the mother and daughter were shot at

While the mother is understood to have died at the scene, her 14-year-old daughter later died in hospital 

Police have set up an investigation site at the home of the dead mother and daughter

The street has been cordoned off

Cops were seen digging up soil in the surrounding area 

Dutch media were reporting that there were fires at both the house – where the blaze has been put out – and the university hospital, where flames are still burning. 

De Telegraaf reports that the suspect shot two people at a house on Heiman Dullaertplein in the west of the city. It’s understood he then drove to the Erasmus MC, less than a mile away.

It was here that a second shooting reportedly took place in a classroom.

Several officers, including specialised arrest teams, have been pictured at the hospital which has been cordoned off. 

Armed police were pictured scouring the roof of the medical centre, while police helicopters hovered over the city.

Witnesses described the chaotic scenes around the hospital, as helicopters buzzed overhead and police snipers took up positions on the hospital roof.

‘First there was a shooting on the fourth floor. Four or five shots were fired. Then a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the education centre,’ a medical student, who did not give his name, told local media. 

Another eyewitness told a public broadcaster: ‘There was a lot of panic and screaming… I didn’t hear any shots, just the panic and that’s what I started to act on.’

Footage shared on social media showed students sprinting through the corridors trying to escape the gunfire and flames. 

Armed Dutch cops swarmed the medical faculty at Erasmus University 

An arrest team was checking the Erasmus Medical Center to establish if the shooter was still in the building, police added

Police officers direct bystanders away from the entrance to the hospital after it came under fire

A patient is taken away from the medical centre in Rotterdam. The university has been cordoned off

Medical staff evacuate the Erasmus MC Rotterdam which has been cordoned off by police

Medical staff were forced to move patients out of the hospital while still bedbound

One student told the Dutch daily: ‘We just had to run away from the arrest team to behind the school. Something is not right.’ 

Nigel Jansen, a 26-year-old intern held at gunpoint by armed police, recalled being told: ‘Hands up, get out quickly!’ 

He told AD: ‘The panic was great. People were running and crying. We had received something, but it was unclear what was going on.’  

One elderly patient was pictured being evacuated out of the medical centre in a wheelchair as armed police swarmed the building which is home to Rotterdam’s Erasmus University’s faculty of medicine.

Earlier, police said the gunman possibly left the scene on a motorcycle, but they later said an arrest team was checking the Erasmus Medical Centre to establish if he was still in the building. 

Figures from across the Netherlands have already begun expressing their sympathies for the victims and Rotterdam’s residents. 

‘There is great dismay after the dramatic events in Rotterdam this afternoon,’ outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on X, formerly Twitter. 

‘My thoughts go out to the victims of the violence, their loved ones and to all the people who have been in great fear. Many thanks to the people of the services for their actions and assistance on site,’ he added. 

Netherlands’ police officers gather near the entrance to The Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam on September 28, 2023

Police officers from the special intervention service at the Erasmus MC Rotterdam

Several officers, including specialised arrest teams, have been pictured at the hospital which has been cordoned off

Armed police were seeing gearing up outside the university 

Emergency services, including fire and rescue, armed police and ambulance services, are coordinating their efforts

Healthcare Minister Ernst Kuipers said: ‘Innocent victims were killed today in a place where everyone should feel safe. Attacked in a place where people are treated and doctors of the future are trained. It is difficult for us to comprehend.’

The country’s royal family have also shared tributes to the victims. 

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said in a statement: ‘Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victims of this afternoon’s violent acts in Rotterdam.’ 

In July, two people and a gunman were injured in a shooting at a summer carnival in Rotterdam. 

The gunman was shot by police several times after opening fire. 

There have also been scores of small explosions and at homes and businesses across Rotterdam this year, blamed on rival drug gangs.

MailOnline has contacted Erasmus University for comment.  

Source: Read Full Article