British man ‘carrying fake gun’ is shot dead by police in Amsterdam

Michael ‘Mickey’ Fudge, 31, was shot dead by police in Amsterdam after taking a fake gun to the national bank

A British man reportedly carrying a fake gun has been killed by a police officer in Amsterdam in what is believed to be a ‘suicide by cop’.

Michael ‘Mickey’ Fudge, who holds dual British-Dutch citizenship, had previously told his mother: ‘If I go out, I’ll be shot at the National Bank by the Marechaussee’.

Tanja Samojlenko told local media that her son had also wanted euthanasia, but that this had been denied. 

Instead, the 31-year-old acquired a fake gun to carry out ‘suicide by cop’, and was shot dead in front of the highly-guarded national bank yesterday evening.    

‘He said to me on Wednesday: “This world is not for me”,’ Samojlenko told Amsterdam-based newspaper Het Parool.

‘He had anxiety disorders and severe depression since childhood.’  

Fudge was born in Amsterdam and has British descent through his father, who died last year after living in the Netherlands for 45 years. 

His mother, who is Dutch with a Ukrainian father and a Russian mother, said that by the age of ten he had seen four or five child psychologists, who were all unable to help him.

Fudge and his mother had been living at the Weteringschans, around the corner from the scene of the shooting in central Amsterdam last night. 

The scene of the shooting after it was cordoned off by the police, in which dual British-Dutch citizen Michael Fudge was killed in a 'suicide by cop' 

The scene of the shooting after it was cordoned off by the police, in which dual British-Dutch citizen Michael Fudge was killed in a ‘suicide by cop’ 

Michael Fudge, 31, reportedly walked up to the heavily-guarded bank with a gun yesterday and approached police who 'felt it was required to open fire', according to a police spokeswoman 

Michael Fudge, 31, reportedly walked up to the heavily-guarded bank with a gun yesterday and approached police who ‘felt it was required to open fire’, according to a police spokeswoman 

Samoklenko said Fudge left the house early on Wednesday evening to go for a walk, and she had no idea what was about to happen. 

‘If I really had the feeling that it was going to go so wrong, I would have kept him inside, even though that is not easy with a guy of 31,’ she told Het Parool.

Police spokeswoman Souad Boumedien said: ‘We got the report that a man was threatening people with a firearm.

‘Colleagues who arrived at the scene encountered the suspect with a firearm, he walked in the direction of them and the colleagues felt it was required to open fire.’

Police near the crime scene at De Nederlandse Bank last night. Michael Fudge had previously told his mother: 'If I go out, I'll be shot at the National Bank by the Marechaussee'

Police near the crime scene at De Nederlandse Bank last night. Michael Fudge had previously told his mother: ‘If I go out, I’ll be shot at the National Bank by the Marechaussee’

Fudge was reportedly injured in the shooting in which several shots were fired and he collapsed to the ground.

Soldiers from the military police who were guarding the bank building rushed to Fudge to provide first aid but were unable to save his life and he died at the scene, according to reports.

A cyclist was shot in his leg by a stray bullet and had to be taken to a hospital to be treated for his injury, according to local media. 

Tanja Samojlenko found out about her son's death on local television. Despite all the sadness she said she is happy her son 'now has peace'

Tanja Samojlenko found out about her son’s death on local television. Despite all the sadness she said she is happy her son ‘now has peace’

Fudge’s mother recalled hearing something big happening around the corner but when she left the house to investigate she saw only the cyclist being loaded onto a stretcher at Frederiksplein. 

The relief was short lived. She turned on a local television station to see that somebody had been shot by police, and recognised a partial photograph of her son’s shoes. 

“On a partial photo of the victim I saw Mickey’s shoes, it was completely wrong, I called the police and said “That’s my child.”,’ she told Het Parool.

‘I made statements for hours, that he is not a terrorist or something, and not a bank robber.’   

The entire area around the bank was immediately cordoned off by the police to investigate the shooting.

As customary with the use of police firearms, an official investigation by the Dutch federal criminal police was started into whether the police violence was warranted.  

Michael Fudge had been 'thinking a lot about the idea' of committing suicide by forcing a police officer to shoot him before he carried out 'suicide by cop' yesterday, a friend said 

Michael Fudge had been ‘thinking a lot about the idea’ of committing suicide by forcing a police officer to shoot him before he carried out ‘suicide by cop’ yesterday, a friend said 

According to local media, Fudge has a track record with the Dutch police and judicial authorities but was not known to be a major criminal.

His criminal record involved smaller crimes such as destruction of property and disruptive behaviour.

Friends described his recent mindset as confused, with one person saying Fudge was thinking about committing suicide by forcing a police officer to shoot at him.

The friend said that Fudge was ‘really thinking a lot about the idea’.

The Amsterdam Police are currently investigating Fudge’s mental state before the shooting and whether or not he had any psychiatric condition.

The entire area was cordoned off yesterday and, as is customary in such incidents, the Dutch federal criminal police have started into whether the police violence was warranted

The entire area was cordoned off yesterday and, as is customary in such incidents, the Dutch federal criminal police have started into whether the police violence was warranted

The authorities said they are not sure yet if Fudge chose the central bank just because it is heavily guarded or if he might have had other motives.

Police spokeswoman Boumedien said: ‘Right now we don’t have any signals that the location has anything to do with it, but we are taking every scenario into account.’

According to the Amsterdam Police, they are currently assuming a suicide by cop scenario as the alleged motive in the investigation.    

His mother said despite all the sadness she was happy that her son ‘now has peace’. 

‘I think it’s very bad for the police how this went, but it’s not that he wanted a heroic ending – Mickey was ill and it wasn’t working anymore.’

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