crime
Hostage-taker in Dresden shot mother with pistol
After the hostage-taking in downtown Dresden, many questions remain unanswered. photo
© Jörg Schurig/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Two days after the dramatic hostage-taking in Dresden, there are new findings. The investigators reconstruct the course of events – and already know a little more about it.
In the case of the hostage-taking on Saturday in a Dresden shopping center, which ended after hours, the criminal investigation of the circumstances and background is underway. During the investigation into the suspected manslaughter and the taking of hostages against the perpetrator, who is now dead, the events are reconstructed.
According to previous knowledge, the 40-year-old first shot his mother in the head in the morning, according to the public prosecutor and the police. The forensic examination revealed that the 62-year-old died as a result. According to the current status, the pistol was not legally in the possession of the German, who has a “minor and not relevant” criminal record and was last fined in 2016 for intentional bodily harm.
Police: perpetrators probably mentally ill
In the hustle and bustle of Advent in Saxony’s state capital, the man had caused fear and terror for hours on Saturday and triggered a large-scale police operation. When he was accessed at noon, he was overpowered and died a little later from injuries sustained. Police believe he was mentally ill. In October there was a mission in Heidenau because he was upset and mentally confused and was taken into medical care, a spokesman said.
After the killing of his mother in a residential building in the Prohlis district, according to current knowledge, the man wanted to use force in the city center to break into the Radio Dresden transmitter and fired shots. He had an acquaintance’s nine-year-old child with him, with whom he then holed up in the Altmarkt-Galerie and also took a 38-year-old clerk hostage in a shop’s office.
The police had tried to persuade him to give up. When special forces from the State Criminal Police Office heard gunshots in the office, they stormed the room and severely injured the suspect. The hostages were freed externally intact.
While the man was still alive, the public prosecutor’s office initiated preliminary proceedings on suspicion of manslaughter against him. The investigations into the case continue, for example into the background and motives of the crimes and how the man got to the gun. It will take some time, they said. No further information could be given with reference to the investigations.