Stop: Survivor from Hanau describes experiences on the evening of the crime

attack
Survivor from Hanau describes experiences on the evening of the crime

A file folder that says “#SayTheirNames. Photo

© Arne Dedert/dpa

In February 2019, a man killed nine people in Hanau for racist reasons. A committee of inquiry is working on the actions of the authorities on the evening of the crime. Survivors of the attack have their say.

A survivor of the racist attack in Hanau described his experiences on the evening of the crime in the state parliament’s investigative committee.

The 41-year-old was in a kiosk on February 19, 2020, which is one of the crime scenes. He was able to save himself by jumping behind the counter, the witness said on Monday in the state parliament in Wiesbaden and reported how victims died next to him.

The 41-year-old said he stayed at the scene of the crime until the early hours of the morning and was asked several times by police officers about his personal details during this time. He was then sent to the police station to give his statement. A social worker there asked him how he was doing. The police did a good job considering that the evening of the crime was an exceptional situation, the witness said.

Committee to examine the work of the authorities

A 43-year-old German shot nine people with racist motives in the attack. Then he killed his mother and himself. The investigative committee should clarify whether there were any mistakes made by the authorities. The meeting on Monday dealt, among other things, with the operational tactics of the police and the care of the victims.

A 41-year-old police officer, who was the first to be at one of the crime scenes, reported to the committee that he had initially found a completely confusing, chaotic situation. His first task was to get people out of the danger zone. At the time it was unclear where the perpetrator was.

dpa

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