Man shot dead in packed bar in Amsterdam was prison warden

A man who was shot dead on a packed terrace in Amsterdam on Friday afternoon was a warden at a local prison, Dutch media have confirmed.

Marcel Blijd was killed at point-blank range as he sat outside De Baanderij restaurant on the NSDM quay, on the north bank of the IJ, in what initially appeared to be a row over a dog running off its leash.

Sources quoted by Het Parool and local crime news sites said the gunman had previously been detained in Zaandstad prison, where Blijd worked, but it is not clear if the two men knew each other.

The shooting at 3pm was witnessed by dozens of people who were enjoying a drink at the bar, and filmed by several people in the area.

Video footage showed the gunman, wearing a white shirt and red trousers, threw the weapon into the water but made no effort to flee and surrendered to police when they arrived a few minutes later.

One witness said the two men clashed initially over the shooter’s dog, which was running loose around the quayside and barking. “He walked up and down a few times. We thought they were going to come to blows, but then there were shots.”

An ambulance and air ambulance were called to the scene, but Blijd could not be saved. A child’s buggy was parked next to the spot where he lay.

Detectives are now investigating whether the shooting was linked to Blijd’s position at Zaanstad jail, where some of Amsterdam’s most dangerous criminals are housed, including members of the Top 600 – a list of repeat offenders, many with connections to the underworld.

“Father figure”

Blijd worked in the prison system for 30 years and was seen as a “father figure” by colleagues and the young criminals he worked with, one colleague told Het Parool.

“Marcel could get on with everybody,” the colleague said. “If you were working with him in the cell block, you knew it was going to be a good day.”

Police cordoned off the area around the terrace and ferries to and from Amsterdam Centraal Station, which dock beside the restaurant, were suspended for three hours while investigations were carried out at the scene.

Witnesses were taken in police vans to the local police station to have their statements taken. Anyone who was in the area at the time can contact Victim Support Netherlands (Slachtofferhulp) for advice and counselling.