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In August 2020, a tragic event transpired in Amsterdam when 23-year-old Sammy Baker, a student and fitness influencer, was shot by law enforcement during a psychological crisis. The incident, which occurred during a birthday celebration, has been the subject of a thorough investigation since.
The investigation, which utilized video footage and created a 3D model of the incident, revealed that Baker was in a 'near-catatonic state' and moving slowly. Contrary to initial claims, it was discovered that Baker had not stabbed any of the officers, as one officer's vest had been slashed, not by a knife, but during the chaos of the incident.
The police chief's assertion was later proven false, and a complaint against him for such false claims has already been won. The disciplinary procedure is now directed against the dog handler and the deployment leader of the police officers involved in the operation.
The shooting occurred after Baker, distressed and barefoot, fled from the police. A police dog handler approached him from behind, bringing him down, and two officers then fired their weapons. Arriving paramedics were not allowed to provide psychiatric or medical assistance to Baker.
The investigation also found that Baker was lying on his back just before his death, and that the officers had the opportunity to step back and remove themselves from any potential danger. This finding has raised questions about the actions taken by the officers during the incident.
The parents of Sammy Baker have been actively involved in the aftermath of the incident. They agreed to a settlement with the police but want to continue pursuing criminal charges against the officers involved. They are also pursuing legal action against the public prosecutor's office in Amsterdam for claiming on its website that Baker stabbed a police officer with a knife.
An independent investigation commissioned by Baker's parents, conducted by Forensic Architecture, found that the self-defense theory in the Sammy Baker case is unsustainable. The evidence includes the investigation by Forensic Architecture, an expert opinion by German professor Thomas Feltes, as well as two expert opinions by a sociologist and a psychologist from the Netherlands.
The expert opinion was initially confidential but was later published with a milder tone, fueling doubts among the parents about the neutrality of the Amsterdam civil court. The parents are not alone in their concerns, as a political scientist commissioned for the civil case concluded in early 2023 that the police officers were responsible for the escalation in the Sammy Baker case.
Despite the findings of the investigation, the public prosecutor's office has not updated its website, resulting in journalists continuing to copy false information from there. The case remains a subject of ongoing debate and legal action.
