Spate of shootings in Brussels has led to eight deaths in seven months

A recent spate of shootings in Brussels has left eight people dead in the span of just seven months, with the latest firearms incident bringing the total this year to 34.

Apart from the fatalities, the 34 shootings have left 14 people seriously injured and 10 people with minor injuries, Bruzz reports.

The number of shootings comes to an average of about 4.86 per month.

The most recent firearms incident took place over the weekend on Saturday in the same area where another shooting took place two months ago at Cafe Al Massirat, near Brussels-Midi station.

This area has been identified by police as a crime hotspot. At the end of June, another two people were killed and two seriously injured in a shooting at the Astoria café on Rue de l'Argonne in Saint-Gilles, some 400 metres away. A little further south in the same commune, a 23-year-old was killed in a shooting on Valentine's Day.

Saturday’s shooting took place near Place Rouppe and one person was taken to hospital in critical condition.

Details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting remain unclear for now, but the perpetrator is still at large.

“No suspect has been apprehended for now,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing.”

According to figures from Brussels minister-president Rudi Vervoort, there were at least 41 shootings in Brussels last year, not counting the 16 October terror attack. In the whole of 2022, 46 took place.

The figures for 2024 are well on their way to topping those of last year.