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A gun attack unfolded in Rotterdam, leaving multiple fatalities and injuries this Thursday as police confirmed a single assailant was responsible. One victim was a 39-year-old woman, and another a 42-year-old professor affiliated with Erasmus University. The woman’s 14-year-old daughter was also wounded and transported to receive medical care.

Reports indicate the suspect was detained by authorities and was a student at Erasmus University. At least one person wearing military-style clothing was taken into custody. Gunfire targeted a building linked to Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam as well as a nearby residence, with fires reported at both sites.

As police arrived, students and staff ran from the area after hearing shots ring out.

Local media described the sequence starting in a residence on Heiman Dullaertplein in the Delfshaven district, where two victims were initially reported. Investigators noted that shots then moved to Erasmus MC classrooms and the hospital campus, followed by a fire at the hospital.

Police indicated there was no immediate evidence of a second shooter or an accomplice in connection with the detainee at that time.

BREAKING: Visuals from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam captured the chaos as the incident unfolded inside a classroom with vulnerable patients. Reports spoke of several injuries. [Citation: Reuters, 2023]

The events triggered a citywide alert, with sirens sounding across Rotterdam and a police helicopter maintaining an overhead presence for hours, according to local coverage.

Early statements noted the suspect fled in combat gear. The individual moved from a residence on Heiman Dullaertplein in the western part of the city toward Erasmus MC, approximately a kilometer away, where a second shooting occurred in a classroom and fires were set.

Eyewitnesses described the detainee as tall, with dark hair, around twenty years old, wearing a backpack and headphones. Visuals from the scene showed specialized police units equipped with heavy weapons, reflecting concern about potential military-grade violence or weapons.

The hospital saw extensive evacuation flows, with many people, including wheelchair users, momentarily held behind caution tape while responders secured the area and assessed the scene.