Quarrel between families ends in shooting; 2 hurt, 3 arrested

Two people were injured in a shooting on Retersbekerweg in Klimmen, Limburg on Tuesday evening. Three people were arrested, including the two who were injured, the police said in a statement. One person was still at large, police added.

The shooting happened at around 7:00 p.m. The police are investigating exactly what happened that led to the dispute. "A fight between two families was probably the reason for the incident," the police said.

The two injured men were taken to hospital for treatment, and arrested as suspects. The third detained suspect was at the scene of the shooting.

A police helicopter was used throughout the evening in the search for a fourth suspect. No description of this person was released.

Mayor threatened there with a gun

The neighborhood became somewhat infamous in 2018 when the Mayor Wil Houben was threatened with a firearm there. He was driving there when a masked man stepped into the road and aimed a gun at him.

"Out of nowhere there was someone with a balaclava and a handgun in front of my car holding me at gunpoint. He came closer and closer. Then you know instinctively that something is very wrong. My mind said 'drive', and my body did its job," Houben said at the time.

A year earlier, an alderman's car was set on fire in the municipality, which Houben thought was linked to two brothers who were evicted from a caravan park.

Officer fired shots there when he was attacked in 2019

The same street in the small town was where a police officer fired warning shots while he was being assaulted by two men last September. That happened when a motorcycle cop attempted to stop a vehicle for dangerous driving in Heerlen, but the driver tried to evade capture.

The car pulled over on Retersbekerweg, and two men allegedly jumped out and lunged at the cop. The driver then reportedly ran off while the officer the police officer detained the passenger. He then returned and attacked the officer who fired the warning shots in an attempt to stop the scuffle.

Hospital workers treated the officer for minor injuries.

A court in Maastricht sentenced Hennes K., a 27-year-old from Klimmen, to eight months in prison for the assault this past December, acording to De Limburger.