crime
Suspect from Offenburg probably came across a deadly weapon at home
Flowers and candles lie in front of the school in Offenburg where the bloody crime took place. The “Mühlbach” special commission is investigating the case. photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
After the fatal shooting in an Offenburg school, many questions remain unanswered, but some things are becoming clearer. This gives investigators information about where the 15-year-old got the murder weapon.
A firearm that probably came from his parents’ home, a dangerous attack on a teacher and a heroic man who possibly prevented something worse from happening: the fatal firearm attack by a 15-year-old on a classmate Offenburg took place under dramatic circumstances.
The victim was hit by two shots, as police and prosecutors reported a day after the bloody crime. According to additional dpa information, the 15-year-old is said to have suddenly shot his classmate in the head. Jealousy could be the motive for the crime.
According to investigators, the suspect shot the boy in a special education school in the Baden city on Thursday. The victim died from his injuries shortly afterwards. The German suspect was taken into custody for suspected manslaughter.
According to dpa information, the firearm that the suspected shooter used was an old Beretta 765. It is not yet known whether the weapon was legally owned or whether there was a violation of the War Weapons Control Act. The “Bild” reported that it was an heirloom from grandpa.
As the investigators announced, the suspected shooter’s handgun probably came from his personal environment. This also applies to ammunition. According to additional dpa information, the teenager probably got the weapon at home.
Suspected shooter had Molotov cocktail with him
Immediately after the attack, the alleged perpetrator hit a teacher in the head in the hallway and slightly injured her. The father of an uninvolved school child stopped the suspected shooter after the crime. He spoke loudly to the teenager and persuaded him to put down the firearm, the police and public prosecutor said. “As a result, the father held the alleged perpetrator who had given up until the police arrived on the scene quickly.”
According to information from security circles, the suspected shooter also had a Molotov cocktail with him. An incendiary device was found. “During the search of the school building, police forces were able to find and confiscate a bottle containing suspected flammable liquid in the stairwell,” the investigators said. “The extent to which this bottle is connected to the crime is the subject of further investigation.”
The arrested man’s apartment was searched. “Further evidence was secured, the evaluation of which will take some time,” said the investigators. The rumors and speculations about the case circulating on social media would not be commented on.
Support from school psychologists
Investigators continued to secure evidence at the school the day after the crime. There were no classes there. The police set up a special commission called “Mühlbach”. “First of all, there are many sensitive interviews with witnesses that need to be evaluated together with the representations that are already circulating,” the authorities said.
Meanwhile, school psychologists looked after young people from the surrounding educational institutions, as the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Education announced. Minister Theresa Schopper (Greens) said: “Our thoughts are now with the family and relatives of the victim.” An event like this leaves deep wounds in a school community.
The victims’ representative of the Baden-Württemberg state government also offered help: “As a victims’ representative, I and my team are available to all those affected as a contact person,” explained Alexander Schwarz. With those involved on site, it is important to them to be there for them and not to leave them alone in this difficult situation.