Four years in prison for three shooting incidents in Deurne (Deurne)

A 25-year-old man from Ixelles appeared before the criminal court of Antwerp on Wednesday for three shooting incidents in Deurne at the end of 2019. The public prosecutor demanded four years in prison. The man denied any involvement.

On the night of December 19, 2019, three shots were fired at different facades in Deurne within fifteen minutes. Around 4.30 am shots were fired at a building in Van Steenlandstraat. CCTV footage showed a suspect shooting six times with a handgun. The police counted five bullet impacts in the window and one in the facade.

In the images, the suspect walked away towards Herentalsebaan, where shortly afterwards five shots were fired at house number 142. The third shooting incident was reported in the Dascottelei, where four bullet impacts were counted in a window of an apartment. During the shooting incidents, projectiles also ended up in the living space of the residents.

CCTV footage showed a Renault Clio that may have been used as a getaway vehicle. Ballistic examination of the bullet casings found showed that they were all fired from the same weapon. DNA on the casings led to Ilyasse Y. It turned out that the police had already checked him in a Renault Clio.

The man in his twenties was not found until November 2023. According to the prosecutor, he was part of a Brussels gang and was known for drug offenses. The shooting incidents in Deurne were probably reprisals in the organized drug environment.

Ilyasse Y. denied any involvement. He wasn’t sure how his DNA ended up on the shell casings, but he may have touched shell casings in a cafe where various items were traded. According to his lawyer, the DNA is not conclusive evidence. The Renault Clio in the images was also an older model than the car in which it was checked. He argued for the acquittal. Verdict on May 22.