Shooting on Avenue de la Toison d’Or in Brussels: Updates, Reactions, and Investigations

2023-12-07 11:45:00

This Wednesday evening a shooting took place on avenue de la Toison d’Or in Brussels. The deputy public prosecutor referred the matter to an investigating judge for attempted murder. The Brussels public prosecutor’s office provided more information this Thursday in a press release.

”Five people were injured. Four people shot and one person who twisted his knee during the escape,” he specifies, while there have only been four injured so far. “The lives of the five people are not in danger”, however, reassures the prosecution, while it was said that the vital prognosis of one of the people was engaged on Wednesday evening.

On the other hand, no information on the identity of the victims is given, while a Swedish public channel revealed that a national was among the victims.

While a drug-related settlement was mentioned by judicial sources, the prosecution is not saying anything regarding the motives for the shootings. However, the terrorist trail has been ruled out.

The judge went to the scene on Wednesday evening, accompanied by the prosecution, the judicial police and a ballistics expert. The investigation is underway to identify the perpetrator(s) and to find out the exact circumstances of the facts, writes the prosecution, which will not make further comments.

To be continued.

Justice Minister Van Tigchelt visits Golden Fleece Avenue

The Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt (Open VLD) and the mayor Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo) went Thursday morning around 11 a.m. to the Toison d’or in Ixelles.

They went there to speak to several merchants on Avenue de la Toison d’Or. It was regarding encouraging them and knowing what was going on in the neighborhood. “What happened here last night is terrible once more,” Mr Van Tigchelt said. “Innocent civilians have been shot and this is unacceptable.”

For example, the owner of the brasserie Alain Gagnaire, who runs the Couleur Café in the avenue shopping center, recounted how one of the victims took refuge in his commercial store while stumbling, hit in the leg and covered of blood. “We were on the verge of closing,” says Mr. Gagnaire. “But suddenly people started fleeing. They all fled inside the gallery. We welcomed them into the brewery, there were around twenty people, including a young woman who was shot in the leg,” specifies Mr. Gagnaire. “Yesterday was yesterday, today is today. Life goes on, but if security problems continue like this, where is this city going?” asks Alain Gagnaire.

The caretaker of the UGC cinema complex in the Golden Fleece galleries also testifies. “It is one of the districts where there are the most traders in Brussels. Our customers were safe in the cinema, but this remains a paradoxical situation,” declared the operator of the UGC.

According to Minister Van Tigchelt, it was decided with the mayor of Ixelles “to go on the ground to understand what is happening here”, declared Mr. Van Tigchelt. “But also to find out what we can do at the federal and local level to combat gang violence.

“The presence of the minister is an important signal,” declared Mayor Doulkeridis. “Last night it quickly became clear that it was not a terrorist attack, but the consequences are the same: the presence of weapons scares people. The question is how to strengthen security in the city,” Mr Doulkeridis said. “We cannot send the signal that we are leaving this neighborhood to organized crime.

Mr Van Tigchelt believes that several measures have already been taken to combat gang violence in Brussels. These include the strengthening of the judicial police in Brussels, the granting of additional resources to the Brussels public prosecutor’s office and the reinstallation of summary justice, 20 years following its abolition. “We are at the forefront of the fight once morest organized crime,” he said. “At the federal level, we arm our services with personnel and resources. The fight once morest organized crime is an imperative responsibility.

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