In the dispute over wearing a corona mask, a 49-year-old is said to have shot a gas station cashier in Idar-Oberstein. The man is in custody. The police and the public prosecutor’s office announced this at a press conference on Monday.
According to the previous investigations, the 49-year-old had entered the sales room of the gas station without a mask on Saturday evening and placed two six-packs of beer on the counter at the cash register. The 20-year-old cashier had informed the man of the mask requirement – whereupon the man left the room and threatened to raise his hand.
At around 9:45 p.m., the suspect entered the gas station again, this time with his mouth and nose covered. At the checkout he pulled down the mask. The cashier had again advised the man to comply with the mask requirement, according to Chief Public Prosecutor Kai Fuhrmann.
Finally, the man pulled a revolver and fired a fatal shot at the 20-year-old student from Idar-Oberstein. He then fled on foot.
Frustration with corona measures as a motive
As a motive, the 49-year-old stated that the situation of the corona pandemic was a heavy burden on him. He felt pushed into a corner and “saw no other way out” than to set an example. The victim seemed to him “responsible for the overall situation, since it had enforced the rules,” said Fuhrmann.
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Special forces arrested suspects on Sunday
The suspect was arrested on Sunday morning on the premises of the police in Idar-Oberstein. He had appeared there accompanied by a woman. “We assume that he wanted to surrender,” said Trier’s police chief Friedel Durben. “This is definitely a special case: We did not have such an act in either the Trier police headquarters or in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate that suggests a connection to Corona.”
The police had searched for the fugitive with strong forces on Sunday night – also with a police helicopter. Based on recordings from the surveillance cameras, police investigators were able to quickly publish a photo of the suspect and inform the public.
Suspect lived in Idar-Oberstein
The alleged perpetrator is a 49-year-old German who lived in Idar-Oberstein. The man has not yet appeared to the police. During the search of his apartment in a district of Idar-Oberstein, the investigators found the murder weapon as well as other firearms and ammunition. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the man does not have a gun license – the origin of the guns still needs to be clarified.
Mayor relieved about arrest
Frank Frühauf (CDU), Lord Mayor of Idar-Oberstein, was relieved on Sunday about the success of the police’s search. He spoke of a “very unbelievable, terrible act”.
This can also be seen in the great concern of the local people. Many would have laid flowers and wreaths at the gas station.
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