3 Dutch soldiers shot after ‘altercation’ in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — Three soldiers from The Netherlands were wounded early Saturday morning in a shooting outside their hotel in Downtown Indianapolis.

Police were called just after 3:30 a.m. to the Hampton Inn on South Meridian Street where they found three people had been shot. All were taken to a nearby hospital. Two of the victims were listed in critical condition Sunday, while the other was listed in stable condition.

“It is not something that occurred inside the hotel,” Indianapolis Police Major Joshua Gisi said. “It was a previous altercation, we believe, at another location. We’re still working through that with all of our witnesses.”

The Dutch Ministry of Defense identified the three men as members of a special forces unit. A spokesperson for the Indiana National Guard confirmed that the soldiers were training at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in southern Indiana. The facility is used for training by the U.S. Department of Defense as well as NATO allies.

The spokesperson said the soldiers were visiting Indianapolis on their day off.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers and families during this difficult time,” the Indiana National Guard spokesperson said in a statement.

Detectives were back at the scene Saturday afternoon canvassing nearby businesses for surveillance footage. One business owner said police had asked to review his camera in hopes of spotting a car that may have driven by at the time of the shooting.

Several panes of glass were busted out on one of the hotel’s doors. Two hotel employees said it happened during the shooting.

Those same employees said the soldiers were staying at the Hampton Inn and the rest of the group checked out today.

No arrests have been made and police have no suspect information. They are encouraging anyone who knows anything about the shooting to contact CrimeStoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.