Youssef el Kahtaoui (25) shot dead as a passer-by on De Clercqstraat

Just after a quarter past midnight on the night of Wednesday 13 May 2015, two helmeted men walked into the Tapas Lounge Village on De Clercqstraat in Amsterdam-West, a known meeting place. One of them carried a Kalashnikov and stayed by the door; the other walked to the back looking for someone. According to later reporting they called out the name of the man they were after: a witness in the 2012 double killing in the Staatsliedenbuurt. One of those present was armed himself, drew his pistol and fired at the man with the Kalashnikov. He was hit; the bullet passed straight through him and lodged in the door frame. The two then left the premises. Outside, Youssef el Kahtaoui (25) was waiting at the traffic lights in his Volkswagen Polo. He heard the shots and got out to see what was happening. The man with the Kalashnikov fired. One of the bullets ricocheted off the road surface and entered his heart through his side. El Kahtaoui was killed instantly. Police said that while he had a criminal record he was not a serious criminal, and that he had not been the intended target. Police eventually arrested Quincy S., who prosecutors say was the man with the Kalashnikov. His DNA was on the bullet recovered from the door frame. He was already in custody at the time for an attempted killing in Almere. S. did not deny being involved in the shooting, but said he was the one who went inside and that he believed it was a debt collection. Prosecutors demanded life. The court held him fully responsible for El Kahtaoui's death, found premeditation proven and imposed 25 years. On appeal prosecutors asked for 27 years; the appeal court imposed life after all. In June 2023 the Supreme Court upheld that judgment. The second man has never been caught.