Prosecutors seek 14 years for fatal shooting inside busy Jumbo in Vlissingen

Dutch prosecutors demanded a 14-year prison sentence Monday against 24-year-old Jordy C. for the manslaughter of 44-year-old Thomas van Wanrooij, whom he shot to death inside a crowded Jumbo supermarket in Vlissingen.

The violence began late in the morning of June 22 last year when a fight broke out inside the Jumbo store at the Papegaaienburg shopping center between C.’s girlfriend and the girlfriend of van Wanrooij’s son. The confrontation escalated, and C. fired two shots near the flower department in the entrance hall, killing van Wanrooij in front of customers and staff.

The Public Prosecution Service charged the case as manslaughter, not murder, because C. had no premeditated plan and did not know beforehand that he would encounter van Wanrooij in the supermarket. Prosecutors rejected C.’s claim that he acted in self-defense out of fear, stating there was no legitimate case of self-defense.

The prosecutor informed the court in Breda that C. has provided conflicting statements about the incident, some of which security camera footage does not support.

“The death of Thomas has left a big hole in the lives of the relatives. And the shooting had an enormous impact on the supermarket employees,” the prosecutor said.

In his final word to the court, C. said, "I want to say that I’m sorry for the relatives. I have a lot of regret that it turned out this way.”

Prosecutors are also seeking a behavioral-influencing and freedom-restricting measure that would place C. under long-term supervision after his prison term. Behavioral experts have found him "slightly diminished" in criminal responsibility.