Backfiring car, not gunshots heard in Nijmegen; No link to fatal Overasselt shooting

The sound of gunshots startled residents of Nijmegen, and rumours quickly started flying that a relative of Jan G., the believed target of a fatal shooting in Overasselt last week, was under attack, local media reported. According to the police, the noise came from a backfiring car. It was not a shooting linked to the Overasselt violence. Multiple residents of Nijmegen-Oost reported hearing gunshots on or near Hengstdalseweg on Monday evening. The police responded in large numbers, deploying the heavily armed Special Intervention Service (DSI) and a helicopter to circle from above. On Tuesday, a police spokesperson told Omroep Gelderland that, after reviewing surveillance footage, investigators concluded that the noise was a backfiring car, not gunfire. 'We found no evidence whatsoever of a shooting incident. No shell casings, no bullet impacts, no injuries,' the spokesperson said. According to the spokesperson, the police responded in large numbers because they are currently on high alert. 'We are in the midst of the Overasselt incident.' That means that the police responded as if it were a confirmed shooting, not a suspected one. At around 4:00 a.m. on September 1, a group of over 30 heavily armed men took to the streets of the Gelderland village. At a home on Ewijkseweg, one of them shot and killed a security guard, a 51-year-old Berry Leenders from Wijchen. A short time later, the group fired shots at responding police officers, seriously injuring two. The police arrested a total of 35 suspects, 33 of whom are still in custody. They are collectively accused of attempted murder or manslaughter of the two police officers. One is accused of assassinating the security guard. The resident of the home on Ewijkseweg is Jan G. He and his father, also named Jan and who also lives on the property, are linked to drug crime, various media reported. A video appeared online in which armed and masked men accuse G. of stealing a shipment of cocaine and threaten to kill everyone he loves. On Monday evening, locals reported rumors that a relative of Jan G. may live in the Nijmegen neighborhood. Police sources told De Gelderlander that a relative of the man was indeed takento safety on Monday evening, but was able to return home shortly thereafter. 'Everyone is on edge, and we are erring on the side of caution,' the source said. 'It soon turned out to be a false alarm.'