The child would not have been hit directly by the bullets, but would have succumbed to the explosion of a microwave oven hit by a projectile. Two other people who were on the spot were also injured, but their life would not be in danger.
The street was closed following the incident. The forensic laboratory and a ballistics expert went on site to make the usual findings.
A judicial inquiry will also be opened to establish whether this event is linked to the world of drugs, like several other similar attacks on houses in Antwerp. This is surely the case, according to the mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever (N-VA).
However, this is the first time that victims have been reported. “It is terribly painful for an innocent victim to fall,” said the mayor during the Terzake program on VRT.
“The affected family is known (…) There have been incidents before. There is therefore every reason to think that it is a settling of scores, once once more, in the middle. A war is happening: criminals are attacking the homes of other criminals. We have been witnessing this for months and what I feared for a long time has happened: there has been an innocent victim, a child,” added Mr. From Wever.