Three Dutch commandos wounded in shooting outside US hotel
Three Dutch commandos in the United States for training exercises have been wounded in a shooting in downtown Indianapolis after what local police believe was a disturbance outside the hotel where they were staying, authorities say.
The Dutch defence ministry said one of the men was in critical condition and the two others were conscious, while Indianapolis police said two of the soldiers were in critical condition and the third was stable.
The three soldiers were from the Commando Corps and were in Indiana for training when the shooting occurred during their free time in front of the hotel where they were staying, the Dutch ministry said.
The shooting occurred about 3.30am in Indianapolis’ entertainment district. Police said officers found three men with gunshot wounds and they were taken to hospitals in the area.
Police said they believed some sort of altercation between the three victims and another person or people led to the shooting.
The ministry said the shooting victims’ families had been informed while Indianapolis police continued to investigate the shooting.
No arrests have been made. An Indianapolis metropolitan police department officer told Fox 59 it appeared an altercation took place earlier at a different location from the Hampton Inn in downtown Indianapolis.
“Right now the information we’re willing to disclose is that it was not something that occurred inside the hotel,” the officer told the news channel.
“It was a previous altercation, we believe, at another location. It did not happen inside the Hampton – the actual occurrence was outside.”
The Indiana National Guard said the soldiers had been training at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a 1,000–acre (405 hectare) complex about 40 miles (65km) south-east of Indianapolis. The guard said in a statement that the center was used for training by the Department of Defense “as well as other allies”.“The Dutch soldiers visited Indianapolis at the end of their duty day,” the guard said.
A Pentagon spokesperson, when asked who the commandos were training with and whether any US personnel were involved in the incident, referred questions to local civilian authorities, adding the situation remained under investigation.