At a traffic stop, shots are suddenly fired. Two police officers die, shortly before they can make an emergency call. Investigators are also investigating whether dead game plays a role in the case.
In the end, the search pressure was too strong: after the fatal shots at two police officers in the Palatinate, the suspect, who was publicly wanted, turned himself in to the police. The 38-year-old from the Saarland district of Neunkirchen was arrested around 13 hours after the brutal bloody crime in front of a house in Saarland’s Sulzbach by special police forces, as a police spokesman in Kaiserslautern reported on Monday evening. The suspect had previously contacted the police through a lawyer.
A short time later, a 32-year-old second suspect was arrested without resistance in the house in a residential area. The investigation should reveal the connection between him and the fatal shots at the 24-year-old police candidate and the 29-year-old chief inspector. Both men are German and initially did not comment on the matter. The 38-year-old should be brought before the magistrate on Tuesday.
The arrested are two men who, according to the first findings, are friends, said a spokesman for the state police headquarters in Saarland in the evening to AFP.
The search measures continued, however, because it could not be ruled out that there were other accomplices. Weapons, among other things, were seized during searches. How this is related to the fact is not yet certain.
Read herewhat is known about the suspect so far.
The police had previously publicly searched for the game dealer from the Neunkirchen district. According to dpa information, the investigators found the suspect’s papers at the crime scene. According to information from security circles, the man had been noticed by the police in the past for hitting the road and is said to have a gun permit.
Shocking events
The police candidate, who studied at the Rhineland-Palatinate Police University in the Hunsrück, and the chief inspector were shot early in the morning at around 4.20 a.m. during a traffic check on a district road in the Palatinate. According to information from security circles, the civil patrol had previously reported by radio that dead game had been found in a vehicle. Later they reported “They are shooting”.
The police officer reportedly fired multiple shots at the scene. It was initially unclear whether it was a warning shot or whether the officer injured a suspect. According to the first findings, the two arrested men were unharmed, reports the police in Saarland.
The young policewoman’s weapon was obviously not used, her pistol was still in the holster. According to the police, the 24-year-old died immediately. The 29-year-old officer from Kusel was initially still alive, but died when the rescue workers arrived, a police spokesman reported. “He was absolutely good,” said a colleague sadly. Both victims, like the two suspects, came from Saarland.
See here or above in the video footage from the crime scene.
Police officer fired shots
The two police officers were on a routine trip as a civil patrol, but wore uniforms and safety vests, a spokeswoman for the Kaiserslautern police said. The deadly shots were fired in the dark on district road 22 in Ulmet in the Kusel district in western Palatinate. According to what was initially known about the course of events, the officers had probably approached the vehicle closer and had started checking when the shot was fired.
Police officers in Kusel: Two officers were shot during a traffic check. (Source: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa)
The police initially did not confirm that the two police officers were shot in the head. However, the protective vests reached from the hips to the neck, so this is likely. The police assumed that an autopsy would be ordered. It was initially unclear how many shots were fired in total.
“It’s reminiscent of an execution”
Politicians of all stripes were shocked. “Regardless of the motive behind the act, this act is reminiscent of an execution and it shows that police officers risk their lives every day for our security,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also commented on Twitter in the evening: “What happened in Kusel depresses me a lot,” he wrote.
The President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, was dismayed and stunned. “It is incomprehensible when police officers become the target of an attack and lose their lives while fulfilling their task of protecting the population from danger,” Münch told the editorial network Germany. His thoughts are with the relatives of the victims and the colleagues on site. The BKA will provide “its full support” in clarifying the facts, said Münch.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer and Interior Minister Roger Lewentz were “deeply shocked” by the deadly shots. “Our thoughts are with the relatives,” said a statement from the two SPD politicians in Mainz. The Prime Minister ordered mourning flags in the country. Black ribbons are provided for all patrol cars in the country. Other federal states also followed this step for their police officers.
The two officers killed originally came from Saarland. There, too, sadness and horror are great.