After the shots were fired at a farmer and FDP local politician in Hattenhofen in the foothills of the Alb, investigators are still trying to identify the shooter and his motive. Even two days after the act of violence, the police and the public prosecutor’s office are still facing numerous unanswered questions.
The 65-year-old district councilor was shot through the window in his apartment early on Sunday morning. He was seriously injured and operated on, but according to the public prosecutor’s office, his life is not in danger. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann was appalled last night. “The attack (…) shocks me deeply,” wrote the FDP politician on Twitter.
With a special commission, the criminal police are trying to evaluate the clues. It is still completely unclear whether the district council was targeted because of its political work or whether there was a completely different motive for the attack on the remote farm between Zell and Hattenhofen in Baden-Württemberg. There was still no trace of the shooter or shooters on Monday.
The mayor of the municipality finds it difficult to imagine a political motive. The man is a volunteer full-blooded politician, said Jochen Reutter. The 65-year-old took care of issues such as savings bank transactions or the closure of a smaller clinic. “Personally, I can hardly imagine that such a deed would develop from this political activity. But that’s all just speculation,” said Reutter.
No accidental victim
The special commission is examining a possible connection to other shots that had been fired elsewhere in the southwest in recent weeks. But here, too, skepticism prevails: All of these cases are now being compared, according to the police in Stuttgart. Among other things, the projectiles of the weapons and possible fingerprints would be compared. But that is standard, whether there could be any connections is completely uncertain, according to security circles.
It seems clear that the farmer is not a casual victim. The perpetrator must have approached the secluded courtyard through the garden. He shot through the windows at the back of the building and hit the local politician.
Reutter said that he was not aware of any hostility towards the volunteer FDP politician. At the victim’s farm there are Christmas tree sales, a farm and also celebrations such as weddings. The man’s father was also in politics. “You know the family, you know him,” said the mayor of the tranquil community.
