Police investigate shooting at Oostende apartment after bullets strike window

Updated 16 August 2026, 18:00 CEST — Police opened an investigation in Oostende after an apartment was struck by several gunshots during the night, VRT NWS and Het Nieuwsblad reported. No one was injured, according to both outlets, and the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office said the investigation remained under way.

Images published by HLN showed several apparent bullet impacts in a window. The available reports do not establish how many rounds were fired, whether anyone was inside the targeted room or precisely when the shooting occurred. Police and prosecutors have not publicly identified a suspect, disclosed a possible motive or announced an arrest.

Het Nieuwsblad reported that residents had raised concerns about earlier problems connected with the address. That account reflects neighbours’ observations rather than a finding by investigators. Authorities have not confirmed that previous incidents were linked to the shooting, and no evidence published so far establishes a connection with organised crime, drugs or a personal dispute.

The immediate concern is public safety in a residential setting. Gunfire directed at an apartment creates a risk not only for its occupants but also for neighbours and passers-by. The absence of injuries limits the confirmed human toll, but it does not reduce the seriousness of discharging a firearm towards an occupied building.

Investigators are expected to examine the bullet damage, recover any ballistic material and review witness accounts or available camera footage. Those are standard avenues of inquiry, but officials have not specified which measures have been taken in this case. Residents with urgent or potentially useful information should contact police rather than circulate unverified identities or allegations; the federal police directs urgent reports to 101.

The next substantive update is expected from Oostende police or the West Flanders prosecutor’s office. The central unanswered questions remain who fired the shots, what prompted the attack, whether the apartment was deliberately selected and whether the incident is connected to any earlier disturbance at the address.