On Saturday, three off-duty Dutch commandos, training with the US army in Indianapolis, were involved in a shoot-out, outside their Hampton Inn in the downtown area in the middle of the night.
One soldier was killed.
Police believe that the shooting was related to an earlier altercation in downtown Indianapolis.
On Tuesday, August 30, a man, Shamar Duncan, 22, was taken into custody by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in connection with the shooting. No motive or additional information regarding the suspect has been released.
The commandos were members of the Commando Corps, a special operations unit in the Netherlands armed forces. All three soldiers were in the US for training exercises at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, before they were scheduled to head to Indiana’s state capitol at the end of their day. When the incident occurred, they were outside their Hampton Inn hotel, where they were staying while training in the US.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense released a statement that the victim had died with his family and colleagues at his side. The two other victims, who were also wounded, were conscious and able to speak.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the incident. They are coordinating with various agencies in the Netherlands and the United States to allow family members to come and arrange for the return of victims to the Netherlands.
The Muscatatuck Urban Training Center is a huge military complex about 40 miles outside Indianapolis. The Department of Defense uses the center for training, including international military personnel.
Officials in the Netherlands expressed deep concern about gun violence in the US, as per the Dutch defense minister, Kajsa Ollongren.
“We do many trainings of our servicemen in the United States, and we really don’t expect this to happen,” Ollongren said.
In the Netherlands, street shootings are uncommon. In the US, it’s a routine event.