Investigators have released further details in the case of the teenager who was shot dead in Lohr am Main on Friday. According to their findings, the suspected shooter, a 14-year-old student from the Main-Spessart district, apparently took the pistol from a neighbor’s gun cabinet.
This person has a gun ownership card and is authorized to keep weapons at home. When they checked his gun cabinet, the officers discovered that he had stored other weapons properly. The cupboard also showed no signs of violence. The 66-year-old has been in hospital for a long time and is not fit for questioning. How the suspected shooter was able to get hold of the weapon is now the subject of the investigation, said spokesman for the Lower Franconia police headquarters, Enrico Ball.
But there is a suspicion. The gun cabinet is secured with a lock. The 66-year-old lives in the same apartment building as the 14-year-old suspect. The investigators assume that both knew each other, possibly even well. The suspected student may have found out where the key was kept – intentionally or unintentionally.
On Monday afternoon there was no investigation against the 66-year-old for a possible act of aiding and abetting. He will continue to be a witness in the proceedings. The investigators do not currently assume that the disclosure of the storage location was intentional.
Without a statement from the 66-year-old, who, according to investigators, is currently “unable to be interviewed in any way” and without any statements from the 14-year-old, who is a strong suspect, the exact incident will probably be difficult to determine for the time being. What is clear, however, is that the weapon that was found in the suspected student’s parents’ apartment on Saturday came from the neighbor’s arsenal. Weapons are registered, so their origin is clear. The investigators believe the pistol they found, a 9-millimeter handgun, was the weapon of the crime.
The 66-year-old sports shooter is authorized to own weapons
The suspected student initially remained silent after his preliminary arrest on Friday around 6 p.m. On Saturday, he revealed to the investigating judge in Würzburg where a pistol was hidden in his parents’ house. The investigators then found the weapon at the location described. An arrest warrant was issued against the 14-year-old on suspicion of murder.
A spokesman for the Main-Spessart district office confirmed police information that the 66-year-old is entitled to own weapons as a sports shooter. He met all requirements and requirements that restrict the possession of weapons. This was also confirmed by the inspection of the gun safe in the ongoing investigation.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new central clinic took place in Lohr on Monday. Prime Minister Markus Söder was also present. The event began with a minute’s silence. District Administrator Sabine Sitter said she was “stunned, shocked and dismayed” that “such a tragedy” had occurred in the Main-Spessart district. They particularly support “all members of the school family in coping with and processing the events”.
After the holidays, school lessons in Bavaria start again on Tuesday. The head of the main affected Gustav-Woehrnitz middle school, Susanne Rinno, announced that they would ensure that “our students receive the necessary support”. At the school center, specially trained crisis management teams will look after the school family.