Shots in Brussels: Gangs, Guns and a Community on Edge

Sun Sep 06 2026 01:37:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Drugs gangs turn a pizzeria into a crime scene in Brussels, sparking police action and community despair.

Brussels sees a surge of shootings linked to drug groups, turning the city’s neighborhoods into high‑risk zones. A pizzeria in St Gilles became the latest target after a brutal gunfire incident, leaving bullet impact marks on the walls and a community gripped by fear. Residents Murielle and Salvatore—both locals of the area—describe how the violence has shaken daily life and how people are striving to keep calm. Police chief Jurgen de Landsheer notes the growing threat of gangs adopting Marseille‑style tactics, while an extra 40 officers will be deployed to these hotspots. The rise in weaponised crime threatens to rip the community apart, but authorities stress the need for prevention and social investment to curb the problem.

Shots in Brussels: Gangs, Guns and a Community on Edge

On a quiet night in St Gilles, a beloved pizza place became a crime scene when a wave of gunfire rattled the walls. Three bullets left impact marks that still flash in the dim glow of the brick corners.

Salvatore, the owner of the pizzeria, tells us he dropped to the floor as blood sprayed from a heavy‑weapon blast. “We dropped to the floor. I had customers eating on the terrace with children. Look, we can see the bullet impacts everywhere,” he said.

He added that the area, which sits next to the big Midi train station that brings in passengers from London and Paris, is now part of a 20‑day high‑crime stretch. Brussels police statistics show >100 shootings last year and >65 so far this year, with the latest incident the third in the same neighbourhood in just three days.

Adding to the fear, the 70‑year‑old resident Murielle watches in disbelief as a drug transaction unfolds on her street. She says, “We can still see the trace of the pool of blood.” Murielle recalls that drug dealers were once polite. “I would just tell them to go further away and they'd say, ‘Yes, ok mama!’” she quips with a wry smile, but her eyes show the stubborn worry he holds for the next wave of violence.

“Things have changed in the past six months,” Murielle says. “The business has intensified. A buyer walks up to the seller, shakes their hand, and walks away with the drugs. Crack has become widely consumed amongst the poorest in this area.” She sees teens queue for drugs, and now gangs argue over the same spot, a sign that the area is morphing into a hotbed of illicit activity.

Police chief Jurgen de Landsheer tells reporters that dealers can earn up to €50,000 per day in a single spot, and that drug‑dealing points have multiplied to over 200 in the city. “We don’t have any no‑go zones here in Brussels. It’s not easy to go into some neighbourhoods, but we go everywhere. We don’t want to become like some neighbourhoods in Marseille, so we’ll do everything to stop it,” he said.

The crisis accelerated when a police station came under attack last weekend. CCTV shows two men on a scooter firing at the door with an AK‑47, an attack that marks the first time criminals targeted police in Brussels. Police warn that the biggest danger is a stray bullet that could hit any non‑combatant.

The interior minister announced an extra 40 officers to be deployed, but de Landsheer stresses that police alone are not enough. “There is no magic solution. We need prevention over repression. We can do our part and be present on the street, but our society also needs to give a future to the young people, do something with them,” he says.

Back in St Gilles, Salvatore calls for an end to the violence. “Nobody sleeps here at the moment. People talk about moving out, houses are losing value.” Murielle remains hopeful that the worst is behind them. “We will not be intimidated. We’ll carry on living and we’ll keep on protecting our lovely neighbourhood.”