Muensterland
Gas station owner dies after knife attack
A police vehicle is in front of the gas station in Lengerich. photo
© North West Media TV/dpa
The 54-year-old died after the knife attack on a gas station leaseholder in Münsterland. His body had gunshot wounds as well as stab wounds.
After the knife attack in a gas station in Lengerich, Münsterland, the victim, the 54-year-old tenant of the gas station, died. The alleged attacker is still in a critical condition, said a spokesman for the Münster public prosecutor on Saturday. He is now being investigated for a completed homicide.
The autopsy result
The 43-year-old is said to have rammed a knife into the 54-year-old several times on Wednesday. A police officer, who actually only wanted to refuel his patrol car, noticed the incident and intervened. He shot the 43-year-old several times with his service weapon and seriously injured him, but also hit the victim.
The autopsy of the victim has now shown that the man died from numerous knife wounds in the abdomen. The 54-year-old’s body also had three gunshot wounds – in the wrist and one each in the thighs – but these were not fatal, police and prosecutors said in a statement. At first there was only talk of a gunshot wound to the victim’s wrist.
Tenant wanted to help employee
In the meantime, the investigations had revealed indications of a mental illness of the alleged knife attacker. According to initial findings, the 43-year-old from Lengerich in the Steinfurt district had only harassed an employee behind the counter. Then the tenant of the woman is said to have come to the rescue.
After a brief scuffle, the 43-year-old is said to have stabbed him several times. A customer screamed for help, alerting the police officer who happened to be there to the attack. The investigation into the motive for the crime is ongoing. The 43-year-old did not ask for money – which would speak for a robbery. There is also no relevant prior criminal knowledge about him.