crime
Man killed on the street in Berlin
Police officers close a street in the Spandau district of Berlin for investigation work. photo
© Christian Pörschmann/dpa
A man lies lifeless on the sidewalk, possibly shot. The police union speaks of an “execution”. But little is still known about the crime and its background.
The investigation into the suspected murder of a man on the street in The investigation continues in Berlin-Spandau. The perpetrator or perpetrators are still on the run, according to the police situation center.
There are still many unanswered questions about what happened in the Falkenhagener Feld district and the background to it. According to the police, several emergency calls were received in the afternoon yesterday, whereupon the officers and numerous emergency services rushed to the crime scene on Im Spektefeld/Hauskavelweg. There they found a lifeless man on the sidewalk; resuscitation was unsuccessful.
The police assume it was a homicide and a homicide squad took over the case. However, officials remained tight-lipped about details. According to information from the German Press Agency, shots were fired and a stabbing weapon may have been used.
Shot while driving?
According to research by the newspapers “BZ” and “Bild”, the victim is said to have been shot from a moving car on the sidewalk. According to this information, residents claim to have heard at least two shots. There are single and multi-family homes, a school and a supermarket around the crime scene.
A police spokeswoman did not provide any information about the man’s cause of death and thus the question of which weapons were used. The crime and the background to the alleged murder are unclear; investigations are being carried out in several directions. There was initially no information available about the identity of the victim.
The police and public prosecutor’s office called on possible witnesses to come forward and, if necessary, provide photos or cell phone videos. A special internet portal was activated in the evening at https://be.beiportal.de/hauskavelweg.
Organized crime environment?
The police union (GdP) spoke of an “execution” with gunshots and located the perpetrators in the milieu of organized crime. “This public execution today in Spandau shows us what people in organized crime are capable of,” said the spokesman for the Berlin GdP regional association, Benjamin Jendro. In power struggles within organized crime, gun violence is no exception and a human life is no longer worth anything.
According to Jendro, there have been increasing clashes between members of feuding extended families, so-called clans, in the Spandau district in recent weeks. “Everyone knows that in these areas, even as a young guy, you are willing to do a lot to earn respect, recognition and power.” The term clan crime is controversial because, according to critics, it stigmatizes and discriminates against people with a migrant background based solely on their family affiliation and origin.
The crime scene was cordoned off with tape. In the evening, experts from the police and forensics were on duty in white protective clothing, as were numerous other police officers. The police also took aerial photos using drones. Emergency pastors were on site to look after shocked eyewitnesses and emergency services.