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Three off-duty Dutch commandos wounded, 1 critically, outside hotel in Indianapolis

Sunday, 28 August 2022 8:10 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 28 August 2022 9:34 AM ]

Dutch soldiers take part in the Zebra Sword exercises on October 27, 2020. (AFP photo)

Three Dutch commandos who are in the United States for training exercises have been shot and wounded in the city of Indianapolis.

The shooting happened in the early hours of Saturday when the three commandos were outside their hotel, according to the Dutch Defense Ministry.

One of the soldiers was in critical condition and the other two were conscious, the ministry said in a statement.

It said all three are members of the Commando Corps, one of the special operations units in the Netherlands armed forces, who were in the state of Indiana for training.

The ministry also said that the shooting occurred during the soldiers’ free time, adding local police were investigating the incident.

No suspects have been arrested yet.

Local police said they believed there had been an earlier altercation between the men and another person or group.

The trio is said to have gotten into a fight elsewhere in Indianapolis and they were shot as they were on their way back to the hotel.

Speaking to FOX59, an officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said, "Right now the information we're willing to disclose is that it was not something that occurred inside the hotel ... It was a previous altercation we believe at another location."

According to US media, the police do have clues as to who shot the three soldiers.

Gun violence is rampant in the United States. In 2020, 44 percent of American households reported owning at least one firearm.

According to the 2018 international study Small Arms Survey, there were approximately 393 million firearms in civilian hands in the US, or 120.5 firearms per 100 people. That number is much higher now, given increases in gun sales in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

US President Joe Biden, last month, said the flood of guns in the United States was turning American cities and communities into “killing fields.”

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