Dutch shocked after police hide image of Indianapolis man arrested for shooting commando in back

Update: Two days after the arrest of the man suspected of shooting Dutch Commandos in Indianapolis, police released the booking photo to local media.

Dutch citizens are outraged in the aftermath of the killing of one of their commandos and wounding of several others in Indiana, as details appear to trickle in on who was behind the killing.

Shamar Duncan has been identified as one of the men responsible for the slaying of Simmie Poetsema, a Royal Dutch Commando who was gunned down in Indianapolis on August 27.

According to a police affidavit for probable cause obtained by a local news station and posted to Twitter, around 4 to 6 gunshots were heard by witnesses.

“[A surviving commando] told Detective [Gregory] Taylor that they had left a club in downtown Indianapolis,” the affidavit read. “They were headed back to the hotel for the night. On their way back to the hotel, some guys bumped into their group and a disturbance broke out. He said there were three African American males that got into a pulling and pushing match.”

The shooting reportedly took place after an altercation outside of a nightclub, which led to Duncan and his friends being bested in hand-to-hand combat by the commandos.

“He said one of the African Americans got hit and was knocked out with one punch,” the affidavit continued, written in grammar typical of police reports. “He said their group was trying to get out of the fight because they didn’t want a fight. He said 30 seconds to 2 minutes after the fight, shots were fired.”

A 9mm handgun was listed as the murder weapon, and Poetsema was reported to have been shot in the head from behind in a drive-by from “a light-colored pick-up truck.”

The Dutch commandos were forthcoming in their statements to IPD detectives.

“He said the black guys were just looking for a fight and he tried to diffuse the situation,” the detective wrote in his statement.

Another witness claims Duncan and company went for his weapon after losing the fight, hearing someone in the group say “I’m going to go get a strap.”

On Twitter, Dutch netizens were unhappy that Duncan’s name was released, but not his photo or any further information.

“Interesting there are no details about [Duncan],” wrote one user. “It was first degree murder. It’s a huge stain on US reputation. Shocking that it happened.”

We just got the booking photo for Shamar Duncan. He’s charged in the killing of 26-year-old Simmie Poetsema last weekend. Poetsema was a Dutch special forces soldier who was in Indiana for training. Two of Poetsema’s fellow soldiers were also shot but survived. pic.twitter.com/z2RZtFudpl

— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) September 1, 2022

“Predictable outcome,” wrote another. “Even the Russians don’t shoot you in the back. Woke Nederland is again preparing to demonstrate against the death penalty and for the release of this ‘poor victim of the system.’”

In recent years, media-affiliated organizations such as the Poynter Institute [who run Politifact] and Gannett have resisted publishing mugshots of black offenders due to a claim that such actions promote systemic racism.

“Local news reporters have amplified narratives that connect Black and brown communities to crime. As a result, we have fostered systemic racism through our crime coverage,” Poynter wrote in a tweet to one of their articles in 2021.

Duncan is currently facing one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and disorderly conduct.

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