Almost a year after the killing of a 35-year-old man in Ingolstadt by a police officer, the public prosecutor’s office has closed the case against the officers involved. As Ingolstadt’s senior public prosecutor Veronika Grieser reported on Tuesday, the shots fired by two police officers were covered by their right to self-defense or emergency assistance. No investigation will be initiated against the officers.
After consuming drugs, the 35-year-old is said to have attacked police officers with a branch weighing almost five kilos, which then led to shots from his service weapons. According to the investigators’ descriptions, the man was initially noticed on June 5, 2023 because he was naked on company premises. After six police officers failed to detain the confused man, the action moved to a bridge.
The police were on site with numerous forces, and a special operations team was even called in. Firefighters also set up jump cushions in case the 35-year-old had thrown himself off the bridge. Ultimately, the situation escalated when, according to Grieser, the man hit the police officer with the branch.
After two warning shots, two officers decided to fire live shots into the man’s stomach and chest. The shot in the chest was fatal.
At this point the operation had already lasted almost five hours. Attempts to talk to the man had previously failed several times. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the use of the firearm was justified after milder methods such as blows to the man’s legs and the use of pepper spray had failed. According to the information, the 35-year-old was heavily under the influence of amphetamines. According to a report, these drugs led to aggressive and disinhibited behavior, delusions, hallucinations and paranoid psychoses.