Police Officer Not Prosecuted for Fatal Shooting Incident in Hoofddorp

News report | 14-01-2026 | 13:37

Background

In the early morning of May 21, 2025, the police received a report of a stabbing incident in a house in Hoofddorp. From the phone call with the control room, it appeared that the caller had hidden inside the house while alerting emergency services. He said his friend had attacked another friend with a knife and that there was blood everywhere in the house. Four police officers went to the address and learned during the drive that the report had been escalated to an emergency call: there was an immediate threat of life-threatening danger or serious injury, an actual stabbing was occurring, and there was a lot of blood. When they got out of their car, a person came out of the house shouting upstairs, upstairs, upstairs. This turned out to be the man who had called for help.
 

Incident

The four officers entered the house. The entrance was a dead-end hallway with stairs leading up to a landing. The officers walked up the stairs one behind the other. Upstairs, on the landing, a man lay on the ground with another man on top of him holding a knife. The man with the knife was dressed in a blood-soaked garment and made stabbing motions toward the man beneath him. The front officer took out his stun gun and identified himself as police. The man then stood up and moved toward the officers with the knife in his hand, shouting Allah Akbar. At that moment, the front officer used his stun gun, but it had no effect. The man charged at the four officers, who were still lined up on the stairs. Due to the limited space and unstable position, they fell down the stairs into the hallway. The man made stabbing motions during the fall, injuring one officer in the face. He then shifted his attention to two other officers, cornering them in the dead-end hallway. One of those two officers drew his weapon and fired two aimed shots at the man with the knife. The man died on the spot from his injuries.
 

Investigation

The National Police Internal Investigations Department conducted an investigation on behalf of the OM. This included forensic and ballistic research, analysis of bodycam footage, and assessment of witness statements. The findings showed that the officers were immediately confronted with a violent attack upon entering the house. First upstairs, where the stun gun had no effect. Then in the hallway, where after the joint fall down the stairs, the man continued his attack and deliberately injured a police officer with the knife. He did not stop there. The investigation concluded there was a continuous and violent attack by the man. The incident from entering the house to the shooting lasted less than half a minute. During that short time, the four officers were in a small dead-end space that was dimly lit due to dawn. They had no escape options and less intrusive effective means were not available at that moment to avert the life-threatening danger to the officers.

Assessment

A police officer is expected not to flee from (imminent) danger but to intervene actively. According to the Police Officers Instructions, it is permitted in certain cases to use a firearm to avert direct danger to life or the occurrence of serious bodily injury. The OM considered this to be such a case. Physically overpowering the man was not possible due to the presence of the knife, the very small space, and his persistent aggressive behavior. There were also no alternatives available to respond differently during the incident.
 

Conclusion

Based on the investigation results of the National Police Internal Investigations Department, the OM concluded there are no grounds to prosecute the police officer for the fatal shooting incident. The officer acted to stop a life-threatening situation caused by a man with a knife who was not reasonable. The shooting was effective, proportional, and justified according to the Police Officers Instructions and the Police Act.