A young man was shot by police in Wezembeek-Oppem, a Flemish town located around 15 km to the east of Brussels. The victim was transferred to hospital in critical condition.
The 19-year-old young man was shot by a police officer in the Hardstraat in Wezembeek-Oppem on Friday night. The Wokra police zone (Wezembeek-Oppem, Kraainem) was called to the house just after midnight. The boy was acting aggressively towards his parents, spokesperson for the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor's office, Ingrid Moriau, said.
When the officers arrived at the address, the situation quickly escalated: the suspect threatened them with a sharp-tipped iron bar and tried to stab the neck of one of the officers, local media reported.
"The officers were able to escape but he chased them and lashed out again," said Moriau. One of the officers then took his service weapon and shot the suspect. The young man was hit in the abdomen by the officer and was transferred to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Both the police officers involved in the incident are also being transferred to the hospital for care.
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The Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor's office confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the exact circumstances of the incident.
The suspect was reportedly no stranger to the police and judiciary, and the police have been called to the address several times in the past. The family's two sons had reportedly been causing issues for some years. A few years ago, one of the sons was injured in another incident. He is now disabled and has a prosthesis, one neighbour said.
