Two dead, two in critical condition, and one wounded. With five victims, Wednesday night’s violent shooting near the Brussels-Midi train station—a drug-crime-ridden neighborhood of the city—was the worst in recent memory, amid increasing drug-related violence in the European Union’s capital.
Sources told the Belga news agency that the perpetrators arrived at the scene on a scooter at around 1:00 a.m and, according to VRT news, fired Kalashnikovs into the Astoria café near the Brussels-Midi station. A 44-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman were killed while sitting on the café’s terrace. Police believe the duo may have been collateral victims, although the investigation is still ongoing.
The two victims in critical condition from gunshot wounds are men, aged 42 and 49. They were taken immediately to the hospital where they are fighting for their lives. The victim who suffered less serious wounds is also a man, aged 31.
Investigators are working on the assumption that the shooting was a drug-related settling of scores, though the motive is still unknown. Police believe that the target may have been the café itself, perhaps in retaliation against the owner. The area is known for drug trafficking. Last year, a Cameroonian café in the neighborhood was first shot at, and then burned, in a turf war between rival drug gangs. In response, the local council passed an ordinance forcing establishments in the area to close at night.
The Astoria café should have been closed at the time of the incident, in conformity with the recent council ordinance. “It is located in the ‘hotspot’ zone of the Brussels-Midi and the resulting night-time closure order has clearly not been complied with,” Saint-Gilles mayor Jean Spinette (PS) told SudInfo. He also said that the area was in a process of urban renewal and that he himself had already signed administrative orders to close the establishment.
SudInfo also spoke to a man named William who knew the victims and was at the scene on Thursday morning to light a candle in prayer for them.
“My cousin has died and two of my friends, who were hit by bullets, are in hospital,” he told SudInfo.
He said that he believed the perpetrators had come from outside the neighborhood.
“It may be a problem between the owners who have the investments here, but I am willing to bet my life that it’s not a settling of scores among the young people who hang around here,” he theorized to the news outlet.
Police have appealed to the public for witnesses to the crime to come forward and speak with investigators.
This is the 23rd shooting so far this year in the Belgian capital—at least eight people have died and and 18 have been injured.
