Bochum
32-year-old rioter shot dead by police

A police operation in Bochum ended fatally (symbolic image)
© Lino Mirgeler/dpa
A man died in a police operation in Bochum. The officers apparently felt threatened by the man and fired shots at him.
When the emergency services arrived, the man came out of his apartment and attacked the police officers with a hammer in the hallway. The officers drew their weapons and spoke to the man. The investigative authorities said he then went back into the apartment and barricaded himself there.
Rioters in Bochum possibly mentally ill
Because of the possibility that the 32-year-old had additional weapons in the apartment, special police forces were called in. Access took place in the evening. The man was hit by two police shots, it said. He was so seriously injured that he died at the scene.
The Essen police headquarters and the Bochum public prosecutor’s office took over the investigation. “There are initial indications that the deceased was mentally ill,” said the joint statement.