Amsterdam: Church services are being held in a quiet Dutch suburb to mourn six people killed by a gunman at a crowded mall, as the investigators puzzle over his motive and struggle to explain how he was able to obtain and own automatic firearms legally in the Netherlands, where such weapons are widely thought to be banned.
The shooter, identified as 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, opened fire in Alphen aan den Rijn on one of the first pleasant Saturdays of spring. He killed six people and wounded 15 others, including an infant, before shooting himself in the head.
He left one suicide note and one threatening note, but neither gave a motive.
Alphen is 19 miles (30 kilometres) southwest of Amsterdam.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, April 10, 2011, 16:04