Father of the gunman Philipp F. turned to the Hamburg authorities | NDR.de – News

Status: 04/06/2023 10:58 p.m

The father of Hamburg amok shooter Philipp F. contacted the authorities in 2021 because of his son’s mental problems. This was announced on Thursday in the Citizens’ Committee on the Interior. In addition, the Hanseatic Gun Club told NDR that it passed on a warning regarding Philipp F. to the weapons department of the Hamburg police this winter.

Before the interior committee of the Hamburg Parliament, Jan Hieber, head of the State Criminal Police Office in the Hanseatic city, said that Philipp F.’s father called the social psychiatric service and said that his son heard voices and wanted to kill himself. After a conversation with the son, however, no further measures were found necessary.

LKA: Change of character detected in 2019

As early as 2019, the environment of the later perpetrator noticed a change in character in Philipp F. after he ended his relationship and lost his job, said Hieber. Philipp F. then contacted doctors himself “to get his mental problems under control” and had meanwhile also been in inpatient treatment in Bavaria. When Philipp F. announced in 2021 that he wanted to heal himself, the father decided to involve the authorities.

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The Hamburg Senate gave the deputies information about the current status of the investigation. 1 min

Gun Club: Warning of gunman forwarded to gun authority

According to the Hanseatic Gun Club in Hamburg, the authorities informed the authorities about a possible threat from Philipp F. this winter. The spokesman for the Gun Club, of which Philipp F. has been a member since October 2021, told the research format STRG_F (NDR and radio) and T-Online that he had forwarded a warning to the Hamburg police weapons authority. The assassin’s brother is said to have called the shooting club in January and pointed out a “change” from Philipp F. This information was immediately forwarded by telephone to the responsible department at the weapons authority.

The “Zeit” had reported online on Thursdaythat the Gun Club, where the perpetrator learned to shoot, had been warned early on. In its article, the newspaper referred to investigators. Accordingly, the police were not warned by the Gun Club. The spokesman for the shooting club now contradicts this.

Last shooting practice at the club on December 12th

According to the Gun Club, Philipp F. has had a gun owner’s license since December 6, 2022, he last shot at the club on December 12 and then did not appear there again.
At the beginning of January, the warning from the brother was received by the club by telephone. The weapons authorities were even asked how the brother could inform those responsible about Philipp F.’s “change”.

According to the research, the authority is said to have said that an anonymous tip was sufficient. Shortly thereafter, on January 24, 2023, the police actually received an anonymous tip warning that Philipp F. was suffering from paranoia and that in the eyes of the whistleblower he was incapable of owning a gun. The weapons authority had then arranged for a so-called gun ownership check at Philipp F., but according to the police, the officials had not found anything suspicious.

Confronted with the Gun Club’s statements, police chief Ralf Martin Mayer referred to the ongoing investigations to STRG_F and T-Online. Everything is currently a “snapshot”. It remains to be seen to what extent the statements are true.

Grote and Meyer: Weapons authorities could not have prevented the amok attack

The role of the Hamburg Weapons Authority has been in focus since the amok attack. Specifically, it is about the question of whether, following an anonymous tip-off during an inspection of the sport shooter a few weeks before the crime, she should have become aware of his mental state and should have withdrawn his weapon.

In the interior committee, the Hamburg police and the interior authority stated on Thursday that they still saw no misconduct by the weapons authority in the background check of the later gunman. Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) and Police President Meyer referred in this context to previous findings of a police inspection group and the technical supervision of the interior authority. Even if a book written by Philipp F., with which the anonymous whistleblower wanted to prove the mental disorder of the later perpetrator, had been evaluated by the weapons authority, the crime could not have been prevented, said Meyer. Because even if one had come to the conclusion to request a professional psychological report, the 35-year-old could not have been immediately deprived of his weapon. Interior Senator Grote made a similar statement. He called again for a tightening of gun laws.

Police officers are standing in front of the building of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Alsterdorf district.  Several people were killed and a few injured when shots were fired at a Jehovah's Witnesses event on Thursday evening.  © Christian Charisius/dpa

AUDIO: Internal Committee on the killing spree in Alsterdorf (1 min)

Eight dead after killing spree

During the killing spree on March 9 in Deelböge Street in the Alsterdorf district, 35-year-old Philipp F. killed seven people and himself at a community meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Nine people were injured.

Further information

Peter Tschentscher (SPD), First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, speaks in the Alsterdorf sports hall at a memorial event by Jehovah's Witnesses for the victims of a rampage.  © picture alliance/dpa/Jehovah's witnesses in Germany, |  JZ

Mayor Tschentscher expressed his condolences to the relatives at the funeral service and read out a greeting from the Federal President. (03/25/2023) more

Hamburg's chief of police, Ralf Martin Meyer.  © picture alliance / dpa

First it was said that the weapons authority had not found a book by the gunman despite a tip. But that was wrong. (03/23/2023) more

People stand in front of the display of a gun shop that sells alarm and signal weapons.  © dpa

After the killing spree in Alsterdorf, the Hamburg police are taking the first steps. The work processes in the weapons authority are to be improved. (03/22/2023) more

Flowers and candles in front of the entrance to a Jehovah's Witnesses building in Hamburg where there was a killing spree on March 9.  © Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa

How did the crime unfold, who are the victims, what do we know about the perpetrator? The authorities have commented on the current status of the investigation for the second time. more

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NDR 90.3 | NDR 90.3 Current | 06.04.2023 | 8:00 p.m

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