15-year-old shot dead by police outside Dutch McDonald’s after alleged bike theft

A 15-year-old boy was shot dead by police outside a McDonald’s in Capelle aan den IJssel, near Rotterdam, on Sunday after allegedly stealing a fatbike at gunpoint. The suspect, identified only as Jerryson, was told to stop several times before fleeing with a firearm, a Rotterdam-Rijnmond police spokesperson said.

The incident unfolded in front of many young customers near the restaurant’s exit, according to Dutch media. Police said Jerryson had held up the owner of the off-road bicycle around 4:30 p.m. before fleeing to the McDonald’s and brandishing his weapon again. Witnesses quoted by De Telegraaf described the teenager jumping a fence as officers closed in, with three shots fired. Video circulating online appears to show a police officer firing multiple rounds on the patio outside the restaurant. Emergency personnel attempted to revive the suspect, but he died at the scene. A trauma helicopter was dispatched to the scene. A firearm was found at the scene; officials said it remained to be determined whether the weapon was genuine through further investigation.

Medics tried to save the boy, but he did not survive. Police later arrested two additional 15-year-olds, one from Rotterdam and one from Gouda, in connection with the robbery. Investigators continued work at the scene of the robbery and at the restaurant as the case developed.

Joost Manusama, the mayor of the municipality, called the shooting “terrible and sad” and said it represented a great loss for the deceased boy’s relatives. The boy’s foster mother, 59, is locally known as “Mother Teresa” for her charitable work in the neighborhood; Dutch media reports described Jerryson as having been placed with a woman from Curaçao in Gouda’s Korte Akkeren district.

The National Criminal Investigation Department took over the inquiry from local police, with investigations ongoing at the restaurant and along the robbery route. The McDonald’s will remain closed until the probe is complete, officials said, and authorities urged patience as the investigation continues.

Context from Dutch authorities indicates the Netherlands saw relatively few fatal police incidents last year. NOS cited police figures showing that officers drew their weapons about 1,700 times and fired targeted shots just 13 times in 2024.