A man armed with a machete attacked a police officer on Friday evening in Nethen, in the Grez-Doiceau district, the Walloon Brabant public prosecutor has confirmed.
The public prosecutor told Belga on Saturday that the threatened officer had to open fire to neutralise the assailant.
Four police officers from the Brabant Ardennes police zone were called to a house along Rue de la Sapinière in the village of Nethen shortly before 20.30 on Friday.
A caller to emergency services had indicated the presence of a very agitated and threatening person in the building.
When police arrived on the scene, they heard shouting coming from inside the building. They found signs of violence, including fist marks on a door, overturned furniture and debris on the floor. In the converted cellar, they were confronted by a man in his mid-40s, who lived at the address.
The man was very angry and made threatening remarks. Despite attempts to calm him down, the suspect threatened the police with a machete.
The armed man struck the cellar walls several times before moving towards a police officer, and the threatened officer drew his service weapon, shooting the assailant in the shoulder.
The police arrested him shortly after 20:45, and he was taken to hospital to treat his injuries.
The magistrate on duty at the Walloon Brabant public prosecutor’s office attended the scene, together with a ballistics expert and the forensic science laboratory.
"Following the usual procedure, the police shooting will be investigated by Committee P," said the public prosecutor.
The designated examining magistrate has been asked to issue an arrest warrant for the attempted murder of a police officer.
