ROTTERDAM – Dutch authorities are investigating the murder of 42-year-old Curaçaon Ardilles “Rilles” Gerard, who was killed on the night of February 1 to 2 in the Netherlands. The Dutch police have requested assistance from Curaçao to help identify the perpetrator.
Investigators suspect that the firearm used to kill Rilles during a Caribbean-themed party at the Sunrise entertainment center in Rotterdam was smuggled into the venue. To avoid detection by metal detectors or security personnel, authorities believe the gun was passed over the fences surrounding the event. Surveillance footage obtained by the police shows two men standing near a fence. While it appears they were either urinating or calling someone, authorities suspect the firearm may have been handed over through the fence to an accomplice inside the party.
The police are seeking witnesses who may have information on the case and how the weapon entered the venue.
Unintended Victim
Rilles, who lived in Hoorn, may have been an unintended victim who was fatally shot. As a large crowd was celebrating inside the venue, gunfire erupted around 4 a.m. A 24-year-old man from Amsterdam was also shot but survived. Rilles succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital.
Shortly after the incident, police arrested a 43-year-old man but later released him. Footage from the Dutch crime investigation program Opsporing Verzocht, aired yesterday, shows two men initially standing by the fence. Moments later, two more men joined them before entering the venue.
Following the shooting, three men were seen fleeing the scene. The footage shows them quickly making their escape. A fourth person followed them, at which point one of the three pulled out a weapon and fired at the pursuer, who ran for his life. A woman standing outside narrowly escaped and may not have been aware of what was happening when the shots were fired.
Authorities strongly believe that the men who fled the scene are connected to the case. It remains unclear whether one of them was the shooter inside the party.
Ardilles
Currently, a team of approximately twenty detectives is working on the investigation.