A Brussels prosecutor on Friday requested an 11-year prison sentence for a young man suspected of two attempted murders.
The man was apprehended in 2022 while aiming a loaded gun at a person and, in 2023, accidentally shot a passerby while targeting a gang member. The defence is arguing for his acquittal for these latest charges.
The events unfolded overnight from 23-24 September on Rue Francart in Ixelles, Brussels, likely as a result of a drug-related conflict.
A member who is part of the Versailles gang in Brussels, referred to as K.Y, was injured in the ribs, and a young woman with no connections to drug trafficking was accidentally shot in the leg on her way home.
The gang member victim identified a young man in his twenties as the shooter. The individual is no stranger to the law; he had been arrested in the same area the previous year for wielding a loaded weapon. According to the Brussels prosecutor, he has an extensive criminal record and sufficient evidence confirms his guilt.
The defence, on the other hand, is seeking an acquittal for the September 2023 shooting. “The only evidence is K.Y’s statement, which is not at all credible. The 2022 charges are merely threats, not attempted murder, hence we call for a prison sentence with probationary suspension,” states the defence.
The verdict will be delivered on 25 June.
