Man Shot in Brussels Drug Area, Violence Escalates
A man was shot in the leg in Sint-Gillis, Brussels, on Saturday evening in an incident authorities believe is linked to the drug milieu. The victim, who was hit at the intersection of Gustave Defnetstraat, Montenegrostraat, and Vorstse Steenweg, was transported to hospital and is not in life-threatening danger, according to VRT NWS.
A Known Drug Dealing Spot
The shooting occurred near the ‘Place des Deux Bancs,’ a small square that has become a well-known location for drug dealing. The area has been repeatedly denounced by neighborhood residents and the mayor, with dealers having moved to this location after police pressure on the nearby Bethlehemplein. An anonymous eyewitness told BRUZZ they were calmly drinking on a terrace when shots were fired, describing a loud bang and a flash from the gun barrel. The victim was reportedly sitting on a concrete table in the square and fell to the ground from the impact.
Police from the Zuid police zone provided first aid at the scene before the victim was taken to hospital. The federal police laboratory came to investigate, and the suspect is being actively sought. “The investigation is ongoing and the suspect is being actively sought,” the police zone stated.
Mayor Jean Spinette (PS), who visited the scene, believes the shooting was likely a settling of scores between drug dealers.
A Weekend of Violence
The shooting was part of a broader wave of violence across the Brussels-Zuid police zone, which covers Anderlecht, Sint-Gillis, and Vorst. Less than 48 hours earlier, on Friday night, unknown individuals fired multiple shots at a police station in the Demosthenesstraat in Anderlecht. Police found 12 bullet impacts in a door, and two suspects fled on an electric step. No one was injured in that attack, which police chief Jurgen De Landsheer described as “a red line that has been crossed,” according to VRT NWS.
On Sunday morning, a second shooting occurred in Sint-Gillis when a bullet entered the bedroom window of a home on the Fontainasstraat. The resident was in bed at the time but was not injured, as reported by VRT NWS. This marked the second shooting in Sint-Gillis within 10 hours.
Two vehicles also burned in Sint-Gillis on Saturday night and Sunday morning — one in the Vlasfabriekstraat and another on the Zuidlaan. Whether these fires are linked to the shootings has not yet been determined, as reported by VRT NWS.
Escalating Drug Violence in Brussels
The incidents come amid a broader trend of escalating gun violence in the Belgian capital. In the first 7 months of 2026, Brussels recorded 57 shootings, with 2 deaths and 21 injuries. In all of 2025, there were 101 shootings with 8 deaths and 43 injuries, according to VRT NWS.
The violence has also escalated in tactics. According to BRUZZ reporting from April 2026, drug violence in Sint-Gillis has evolved from shootings to explosions, with the police describing an escalating territorial struggle between drug gangs. Mayor Spinette has mentioned a possible conflict between dealers from the Marollen neighborhood in Brussels-City and those from the Bethlehemplein.
Political Response and Demands
The weekend’s violence has triggered strong political reactions. Mayor Spinette is demanding the same resources as those granted to Antwerp, including 80 additional police officers for the federal judicial police. He also calls for more resources for the prosecutor’s office and capacity to deport undocumented persons involved in crime.
Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès (MR) called the violence “an escalation of violence,” stating: “This is a painful reminder that this violence, which supposedly plays out between rival gangs, also affects people who have nothing to do with this drug trade, simply at home, in their living room. We cannot accept that. We will never give up Brussels.”
Brussels Prosecutor Julien Moinil has announced he will hold a press conference in the coming days about the escalating gun violence, as reported by BRUZZ. He has previously expressed frustration about the lack of resources to combat drug-related crime, noting that “the fact that the state is made a target in the middle of the street speaks volumes about the intention to destabilize the authorities, but they will certainly not succeed.”
What to Watch For
With Brussels on track for another record year of gun violence, the key questions moving forward are whether the federal government will respond to the mayor’s demand for 80 additional police officers, and what specific measures the Brussels prosecutor will announce at his upcoming press conference. The connection between the various incidents — the shooting, the second shooting, the police station attack, and the vehicle fires — also remains under investigation.