Public Prosecutor denies that Rotterdam police shot killed 15-year-old in the back
The 15-year-old boy who the police shot dead in Capelle aan den IJssel on Sunday was not shot in the back, the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service (OM) wrote on X. The OM felt it was necessary to make this post “because factual inaccuracies” are circulating online.
The OM was referring to, among other things, a statement made by Gerald Roethof, the lawyer representing the killed boy’s biological mother. On the talk show Pauw & De Wit, Roethof said he had seen footage of Jerryson being shot in the back.
“When you watch the footage, you see a little boy running away, only to be shot in the back. Very targeted,” the lawyer said. He was referring to a clip circulating on social media. The lawyer revealed that Jerryson’s mother was filing manslaughter charges against the police.
The OM disputes that the boy was shot in the back. A spokesperson would give NOS no further information, saying that the Rijksrecherche investigation into the shooting was still ongoing.
The police shot the boy dead outside a McDonald’s in Capelle aan den IJssel on Sunday, shortly after he and others allegedly robbed another boy of his fatbike. The OM reported on Wednesday that the boy was carrying a “functional firearm in the form of a converted gas pistol.”
A march to commemorate Jerryson was announced for later on Thursday, ending at the police station in Capelle aan den IJssel. The municipality has said that no demonstration has been registered yet, but it is in discussion with the police about possible measures.
The Comenius College school group in Capelle aan den IJssel decided to end all classes at 3:00 p.m. today as a precaution “out of responsibility for the safety and well-being of our students,” the school group said in an email to parents.
