Shot at snackbar ’t Snorretje

The 30-year-old Amanuel “Maantje” Sambo was shot dead during the night of 17 to 18 November 2020 on Krugerplein in Amsterdam-Oost. Earlier that evening, he had been at a birthday party on the nearby Transvaalkade together with the later suspects. According to the Public Prosecution Service, an argument had developed there between Sambo and the main suspect, Zion R.; the exact reason for the conflict remained unclear. After the party, Sambo was cornered and assaulted on Krugerplein, after which Zion R. shot him from close range in the back and buttock. Sambo later died in hospital from his injuries. Prosecutors described the killing as a “cold-blooded execution” and initially demanded 20 years in prison for Zion R.; heavy sentences were also demanded against co-suspects Joshua van Z., Tyrone B. and Prateek S. The Amsterdam court ultimately sentenced Zion R. to 12 years in prison for manslaughter, not murder, and also convicted two co-suspects at first instance. On appeal, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled in March 2024 that Zion R. deserved a heavier sentence because of the ruthless nature of his actions. The court sentenced him to 13 years in prison. The three co-suspects were acquitted on appeal, because the court did not find their involvement in the fatal violence legally and convincingly proven. According to AT5, the court considered 15 years more appropriate, but because of another conviction the maximum sentence it could impose was 13 years.