Drug violence Antwerp: 11-year-old girl killed by bullet

An autopsy has revealed that a bullet hit the 11-year-old victim of the shooting incident in Merksem in the Antwerp region. "A girl of barely 11 who obviously has nothing to do with a criminal milieu has fallen victim to a narcoterrorism that we have seen become increasingly brutal, " Antwerp prosecutor Franky De Keyzer responded.

The Antwerp prosecutor's office confirmed that the girl died after being hit by a bullet. A total of five bullet casings were recovered in front of the house. Based on these bullet casings, they are believed to be war ammunition.

At the time of the shooting, the girl's father, aged 58, and her two sisters, aged 13 and 18, were also in the garage where the bullets flew in. They were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

According to the prosecutor's office, the address where the offences occurred was not known for criminal offences. "Therefore, at this stage of the investigation, there are no indications that the occupants of the affected premises were themselves involved in drug trafficking."

"What happened last night in Merksem is the most horrific scenario we could imagine," said Antwerp prosecutor Franky De Keyzer. "A girl of barely 11 who obviously has nothing to do with a criminal milieu has fallen victim to a narcoterrorism that we have seen become increasingly brutal."

"We will do everything, in this case, to work with the investigating judge, the federal judicial police and the police zone Antwerp to track down and prosecute those responsible for these terrible acts. However, we will not allow this to become the new normal. This must not and cannot go unpunished", the prosecutor concluded.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO Jonas Roosens}