A good two months after a knife attack with several injuries at a Wuppertal high school, the public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against a 17-year-old. He is accused of four counts of attempted murder in conjunction with grievous bodily harm, as the Wuppertal public prosecutor announced on Thursday.
According to earlier information, four students were stabbed at the high school in the Wuppertal district of Elberfeld on February 22nd of this year when the 17-year-old is said to have suddenly attacked his classmates in a break room. Three other students suffered shock. The suspect is said to have inflicted serious injuries on himself with the knife. Three students, including the 17-year-old, were in the intensive care unit.
The alleged perpetrator was a senior at school himself. The public prosecutor’s office explained its initial findings at the end of February that a teacher became aware of the crime by shouting loudly and came to the crime scene. The teacher was able to calm him down and disarm him. However, when he saw the emergency services, he is said to have attacked them. The 17-year-old was overpowered and arrested without the use of a firearm, it was said at the time.
The school had sounded the alarm. The police were informed of an emergency call from the school office. Heavily armed emergency services then cordoned off the school and searched it.
The 17-year-old was taken into custody after the crime, which should continue at the request of the public prosecutor. A possible motive remained unclear. Shortly after the crime, investigators announced that they suspected the 17-year-old had mental illness. This is indicated by a letter found at the crime scene. The public prosecutor’s office does not provide any further information about the crime or the mental state of health of the accused, citing the privacy protection of the minor accused. A youth chamber at the Wuppertal Regional Court must decide whether to open the main proceedings.
