Teenager who shot refugee in random attack sentenced to two years in prison

A teenager who shot a refugee as he rode past has been sentenced to two years in prison, the maximum sentence for a minor in the Netherlands.

The young man shot his victim, a 15-year-old Saudi boy, in the back while he was playing with a friend in the street in Oss, North Brabant.

The shooter fled the scene, but was later arrested when his mother recognized him on the crime show Opsporing Verzocht. His victim, who lived in refugee accommodation in the town, was seriously injured but survived his injuries.

The incident occurred in the Kardinaal de Jongstraat on October 15 last year, around 10 p.m. The youth exercised his right to remain silent when asked in court what the motive for the attack was.

The judge in Den Bosch found the shooter guilty of attempted murder, stressing that he had “shot dead a 15-year-old boy in cold blood”.

The court heard the youth had bought the gun a few weeks earlier. “He consciously cycled around Oss with a loaded gun looking for a random victim,” the judge said.

“He tried to kill someone his age by shooting them in the street, without provocation. The victim barely survived the attack.

The youth, now 17, from Heerhugowaard, was also made subject to a JIP order, the juvenile equivalent of the TBS psychiatric treatment system, to reduce the risk of reoffending.