The teenager who allegedly shot a classmate at a school in Offenburg last week tried to detonate a Molotov cocktail in the classroom after the crime. The public prosecutor and police announced this at a press conference on Tuesday. According to investigators, the 15-year-old first fired two shots at the classmate’s head and then pulled the incendiary device out of his backpack.
When the Molotov cocktail failed to ignite, the suspect left the classroom. In the stairwell he finally threw the incendiary device in the direction of the headmistress. The 15-year-old is in custody on suspicion of manslaughter.
The 15-year-old had “access” to the semi-automatic murder weapon in his home environment
So far, the suspected shooter has not commented on the crime, as the public prosecutor’s office has now announced. Even if he does, the public probably won’t notice much. Because the suspect is a minor, the information policy is subject to strict rules. A juvenile psychiatric expert is supposed to examine the 15-year-old to determine whether he has “age-appropriate maturity” – and whether a “psychopathological condition played a role in the crime,” according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Candles and flowers lie in front of the entrance to the Waldbachschule in Offenburg.
(Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa)
The teenager’s parents are now also being investigated, including for negligent homicide. It is also about possible crimes under the Weapons Act, said the public prosecutor. The 15-year-old had “access” to the semi-automatic murder weapon in his home environment. Both parents do not have a firearms license. It is not yet clear where exactly the weapon came from.
Over the course of the week, a kind of everyday life should slowly return to school. There will be more and more lessons, it was said. However, school psychologists will still be on site. Teachers should pick up students before school and accompany them to their classrooms.