New camera footage shows Overasselt gunmen before fatal shooting
Previously unreleased footage of the deadly Overasselt shooting that claimed the life of 51-year-old security guard Berry Leenders and injured two police officers has been obtained by RTL Nieuws. The recordings show that the large group of suspects first stopped at another car before they shot Leenders further down the road.
The video reportedly shows a group of more than 30 masked men stepping out of two vans and walking together towards the first car. They pulled the door open but walked on immediately after. They then arrived at the farm on Ewijkseweg, belonging to convicted drug criminal Jan G., who was recently arrested in Germany. After the suspects shot Leenders, a gunfight with the police also unfolded, during which two novice officers were injured.
The group is then seen walking back to the spot where they got out of the vans. One of the men then fired a shot into the air. The police have since identified the two shooters who killed Berry. The shooters, together with the rest of the group, are facing charges of murder and manslaughter.
On Friday, 32 out of the 33 suspects were remanded to custody following a court review. Earlier this week, 14 were ordered to remain in custody for another 14 days, and five others were trialed. I had a closed hearing on Friday; five others were trailed: four were jailed for another 90 days and one person for 30. The detention for two minors in the case was also extended by 45 days. Another 13 suspects appeared in court on Thursday, but the decision is unknown.
The suspects are 11 Dutch, 16 French, two Belgian, two Algerian, a Libyan, and a Ukrainian. Everyone is aged 18-32, apart from two French minors who are 16 and 17.
It has also been recently revealed that the two French suspects have also shed light on some details of the case. According to the police, the suspects said that the group had gathered the night before in a Belgian warehouse, where they were told to kill everyone, including children and the elderly. The group leaders received heavy automatic weapons, while the rest were given pistols.
According to the RTL, the new videos are of much better quality than the previously released materials. That, in turn, makes the details of the group’s behavior clearer to the investigators.