♦On the night of Sunday June 23 to Monday June 24, 2024, Michaël O., a man born in 1977, lost his life after being hit by a train at St-Denis Bovesse station. Earlier in the evening, the man allegedly ended the life of his partner, a mother of two children. In this case, the death of the author led to the termination of the public action.
♦Just a month later, a man born in 1993 of African origin was stabbed in the chest in Namur. Seriously injured, he took refuge in a night shop on Avenue des Combattants before being taken care of by emergency services. He died from his injuries in hospital.
In this case, a 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were placed under arrest warrant for attempted robbery with violence, with several aggravating circumstances, including in particular that of murder to facilitate said attempted theft. They are each known to the courts for facts related to drugs. These events took place in the context of a drug deal between the two people arrested and the victim who was, it seems, their supplier and on whom a significant quantity of drugs was found.
♦On the evening of November 4, it was in Yvoir that a new drama played out. A young woman born in 2002, of Eritrean nationality, was fatally slit by her partner on the banks of the Meuse, in front of her friends before being thrown into the Meuse. His body was recovered by divers from the Dinaphi area a few moments after the incident. “The suspect born in 1999 was arrested and placed under arrest warrant, charged with murder“specified the Namur public prosecutor’s office. The victim had been residing at the Croix d’Yvoir center for asylum seekers since April 2024. Following a breakup, her partner was relocated to another center in Belgium.
♦New tragedy, less than two weeks later, a few dozen kilometers from Yvoir. It was on November 17 around 10:40 p.m. in a house on rue de la Rochelle, in Walcourt, that a man born in 1968 lost his life after being stabbed several times. Despite the rapid intervention of emergency services, the victim died on the spot. The suspect, a man born in 1953, was immediately arrested by the police and deprived of his liberty. The case was investigated for murder. The events allegedly took place at the home of the author, well known in the local community and folklore community.
Through the eye of the needle
Other equally violent events took place during this year but fortunately did not cost the victims their lives. In some cases, however, it came close.
♦Like February 28, around 9:25 p.m., at Square Léopold in Namur. An Afghan, born in 2003, stabbed another Afghan of the same age several times. His life was in danger when he was taken in by emergency services.
♦On the night of April 12 to 13, another murder attempt took place around 1:30 a.m., rue de Bruxelles in Namur. A couple was accosted by a person who made somewhat insensitive remarks about the woman. “They didn’t have any more to his companion. A verbal altercation took place between the 2 men. The author of the less than delicate remarks took out a box cutter and struck the other in the throat”explained the Namur public prosecutor’s office. Fortunately, the victim only suffered minor injuries.
♦In the choice of weapon used, some went a step further. On August 30, 2024, an individual shot three times at a person who was in rue du Petit-Ry in Jambes. The victim was hit in the knees. While fleeing, the suspect had a traffic accident with a vehicle. This young man born in 2003 was finally arrested on November 12 in Louvain-la-Neuve and placed under arrest warrant for intentional assault and violation of weapons legislation.
♦On September 27, 2024 around 9 p.m., the police in the Orneau-Mehaigne area intervened on rue de la Gare, in the center of Éghezée, for an altercation involving around ten young people from the locality. One of them was stabbed and hit with a chair leg or a piece of wood. According to witnesses, a shot was also fired. The victim had to be hospitalized but his life was not considered to be in danger.
In this case, nine suspects of attempted murder and offenses against the law on weapons. Eight of these people were placed under arrest warrant, the ninth was released on conditions.
♦Finally, on Tuesday December 3, 2024 around 9 p.m., a young woman aged 20 was attacked by her former companion while leaving a ride in Ham-Sur-Sambre, in the company of her mother. The perpetrator, a resident of Auvelais born in 2002, had been waiting for him in the parking lot for several hours. He burst in and stabbed her several times in the face and neck when she got into the passenger seat of his vehicle. The young woman’s cheek was reportedly pierced and her tongue cut out while another blow almost hit the carotid artery. The victim’s mother fortunately intervened before the attacker returned to his car. He fled before warning the police himself of the acts he had committed.
