ROTTERDAM--Divers of the Netherlands Royal Navy discovered several firearms in a Rotterdam canal on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the killing of St. Maarten resident René Francis “Kobie” Paul.
Rotterdam Police announced on Tuesday morning that divers of the Royal Navy would be searching the water of the Essenburgsingel for evidence that may be linked to the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Paul on December 10, 2015.
Later on Tuesday, it was reported that various firearms had been found. The exact number and type of firearms were not specified. Forensic research will be carried out to determine whether one of more of these weapons were used in the shooting.
Police hopes that the discovery of the firearms will shed some light on what happened in the night of December 10 when the Dominica-born Paul was found dead inside the house of a friend from St. Maarten on Burgemeester Meineszlaan in Rotterdam. The Essenburgsingel where the firearms were found is close to the scene of the shooting.
The detective team is still investigating the fatal shooting, which also left a 23-year-old man from St. Maarten severely wounded. Police is especially keen on receiving tips as to the motive of the shooting.
The team is also looking for a number of specific witnesses that were close to the scene on Burgemeester Meineszlaan, namely two women of more or less 18 years of age who had a bike and skateboard with them, and the driver of a dark-coloured SUV.
The Missing Persons programme “Opsporing Verzocht” for the second time dedicated attention to the fatal shooting case on national TV on Tuesday, calling on the public to come forward with information that could help in solving this case.
Two suspects were arrested in this case: on December 23, 2015, police arrested a 23-year-old man from Rotterdam and a 21-year-old man from Lelystad in a house in Soesterberg. The two men are suspected of being involved in the shooting. They have been in detainment and were arraigned before the Court on Tuesday.
The victim Paul, a well-known drag racer in St. Maarten, had just been four days in Rotterdam when he was killed. He was staying at the house of a fellow St. Maartener who was also shot and found severely wounded outside the dwelling after the shooting.
Paul was in the Netherlands to buy a truck with a crane. He worked in the transport sector in St. Maarten. Paul and the wounded victim knew each other from St. Maarten. Paul has been buried in Dominica.
