This weekend, the police from the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles zone were called to intervene due to a shooting at the intersection of the Chaussée de Wavre and the Rue Francart in the municipality of Ixelles on Sunday.
At around 01:30 on Sunday 24 September, police found two victims on the ground: one was hit in the ribs, the other in the thighs, but their lives were not in danger, the Public Prosecutor confirmed.
"The emergency services were immediately called to the scene. Both victims were taken to hospital for necessary care," the police said. The person shot in the thighs was hit by a stray bullet, and has since been allowed to leave the hospital.
A perimeter was established for the investigation. The Deputy Public Prosecutor was informed and ordered the first investigative tasks: a witness interview, a camera examination and the intervention of the federal judicial police laboratory and a ballistics expert.
Police cannot handle problem alone
For Ixelles mayor Christos Doulkeridis and Michel Goovaerts, police chief of the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone denounced these "totally unacceptable acts of violence" in a press release, adding that the incident is further evidence of the unprecedented scale of drug trafficking.
As in other neighbourhoods in Brussels or Antwerp, firearms are increasingly being resorted to in the context of conflicts directly related to drug trafficking, they said. This is "totally baffling" and should in no way become the general rule; police districts cannot combat this problem alone.
It is therefore extremely urgent to significantly strengthen the resources available to the Federal Police and Justice in the fight against drug trafficking and the resulting crime that is holding our neighbourhoods hostage, they said.
"The drug problem creates a huge burden in our society. Let it be clear that we are working around the clock to guarantee security for all citizens and in all neighbourhoods," said Goovaerts.
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As soon as he was informed of the facts and while respecting the secrecy of the investigation, Doulkeridis asked to increase the police presence in the neighbourhood, which was already under special surveillance.
"In the Matonge district, many roads cross, many different groups come together. I will never allow it to become a playground for drug dealers and their violence, and we will do everything we can to fight it," he said.
An investigation for attempted manslaughter has been opened. As the investigation is still ongoing, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office will not provide any further comments or information.
