A 25-year-old man was shot dead by police on Thursday morning in an apartment building in Braine-l’Alleud, the local public prosecutor confirmed.
Police officers from the Braine-l’Alleud zone were called at around 09:00 to assist paramedics responding to an emergency in an apartment building on Rue de Cambrai, located in the south-east of the town.
The emergency call came from a woman seeking help for her son, who was hyperventilating and behaving violently.
Three intervention officers arrived at the scene and proceeded up the stairwell to the caller’s floor. Upon reaching the apartment, the door opened, and they were confronted by a man holding a handgun.
The man raised the weapon towards the officers, prompting one of them to fire twice, explained Marc Rézette, public prosecutor for Walloon Brabant. The individual retreated into a bedroom after being shot.
Police secured the area before accessing the room, where they found the man unconscious. Despite the efforts of emergency responders, the 25-year-old could not be resuscitated and died at the scene, added the prosecutor.
Initial investigations revealed that the weapon pointed at officers was a loaded .45 calibre pistol ready for use. The prosecutor’s office arrived at the location shortly thereafter.
Due to the fatal police shooting, the investigation was assigned to the oversight body Committee P. A forensic pathologist and ballistics expert were also called in, alongside scientific and technical police lab specialists.
The case is being handled as potential involuntary manslaughter, with an inquiry underway to establish the specific circumstances surrounding the police intervention.
