Banshi, who works at the nearby beach pavilion, noticed a lot of uproar around 4:45 PM. “We were asked whether we had an AED and could provide first aid,” he says. “There was shooting, people said. And then a whole horde of people came in panic. That there was blood, that someone was dying. But in the wide area there is no AED.”
Parents with children
Banshi says the emergency services were there quickly. “In fifteen minutes everything was in here and there was resuscitation by a neighborhood youth worker, Salim. Until the emergency services arrived. That went pretty quickly.” There was great panic. “A lot of people were in panic. Parents, people with children. They were also children of seven or eight years old who noticed it up close.”
According to Banshi, Van Wijk was a nice, cheerful guy. “We know him as a customer. Always up for a joke. A tough, young guy. In the prime of his life.”
And a woman who comes to lay flowers on the scene of the shooting incident also has words of praise for Van Wijk. “A quiet boy. Very sweet.” Her son once attended primary school with Van Wijk. “Everyone thinks it’s terrible. We live in Badhoevedorp, the news is spreading like wildfire. My son is very taken aback. And angry too, at the shooter. That won’t go away.”
Identification unclear
The police let it be known that they cannot respond to the statements of Van Wijk’s best friend in the AD. “We have already spoken to the necessary people, but there were many more people present. We try to move people digitally via Facebook and Instagram to respond; photos, videos, anything they can share is welcome,” said a spokesman.
A description of the perpetrator is not yet available. Shortly after the shooting incident, the police reported via Twitter that it concerned a man aged 20 to 30 with a light skin tone and black curls. Later, the police withdrew that notice.
“The description was given by a witness at that time. After that we heard many more people and they also gave other descriptions. That is why it was decided to remove the tweet,” said the spokesman.
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