crime
Background: Shots in the classroom in Offenburg
Flowers and candles lie outside the school during a silent memorial service. photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
After the fatal shooting in an Offenburg school, many questions remain unanswered, but some things are becoming clearer. Police investigations are continuing.
The investigation after the shooting at a school in Offenburg continue. A 15-year-old suspect, who authorities say is German, is in custody for suspected manslaughter. Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) wants to inform the members of the Interior Committee about the status of the investigation next Wednesday. What we know so far:
Crime scene and time
The attack is said to have taken place in the suspect’s 9th grade class. The major police operation took place on Thursday around 12 p.m. The 15-year-old student is said to have come into his classroom and suddenly shot his classmate in the head with a handgun. The 15-year-old victim was hit by a total of two shots. Investigators said a teacher then met the suspected perpetrator in the hallway in front of the classroom. The suspect hit her on the head. The woman was slightly injured.
A father of an uninvolved school child stopped the suspected shooter after the crime. According to police, he spoke loudly to the teenager and persuaded him to put down the firearm. “As a result, the father held the alleged perpetrator who had given up until the police arrived on the scene quickly.” The arrested man’s apartment was searched. Additional evidence was secured.
Where does the firearm come from?
According to dpa information, the firearm that the shooter used was an old Beretta 765. It is not yet known whether the weapon was legally owned by a family member or whether there was a violation of the War Weapons Control Act. The “Bild” reported that it was an heirloom from grandpa.
The suspect is said to have had a large amount of ammunition with him. In addition to the firearm, he also had a Molotov cocktail with him. During a search of the school building, police forces found a bottle containing suspected flammable liquid in the stairwell and confiscated it. The extent to which this bottle is connected to the crime remains to be determined.
Why did the 15-year-old shoot his classmate?
According to police, jealousy is a possibility. More about the background and the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim has not yet been disclosed.