After the fatal shooting of a man armed with a machete in a Mannheim university, the investigation is in full swing. The details of the incident on Tuesday evening are still unclear, a police spokesman said in the morning. The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) is now investigating.
Among other things, witnesses should be interviewed, ballistic and smoke traces examined and the event reconstructed. The 31-year-old’s body should also be autopsied. The University of Mannheim reacted with dismay to the incident.
The 31-year-old German was noticed on Tuesday afternoon in the area of the library of the Faculty of Economics, as the police together with the public prosecutor’s office and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) announced. When he then rioted and aggressively attacked an employee, the police were alerted, as the police spokesman said.
Man died in hospital
When a patrol arrived, the man reportedly already had the machete in his hand. He is said to have behaved aggressively towards the officers, it was said. They then shot the 31-year-old. The seriously injured man was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly afterwards.
The “Mannheimer Morgen” quoted three young men who said they had witnessed the incident. The whole thing took place in the entrance area of the library, they said. “I saw that the guy was complaining because he wasn’t allowed to put his stickers on. Then all of a sudden I see him take out his knife, a huge knife,” said one of the witnesses.
His friend added that he ran past the man at that moment. “It was a huge, long machete with a long black blade. At first glance it looked like a toy. I thought he was just crazy.” At first he didn’t take the situation seriously. “It was only when the security said, ‘Young man, don’t go too close to him’ that I realized it and walked away straight away.” University employees confirmed to the newspaper that the incident happened something like this.
It is unclear how many shots were fired
It is still unclear how many shots were fired. According to witness statements, shots were fired once. Whether this is true is still being determined. Students were also on site during the incident and, according to police statements, they were not at risk. They were then looked after by emergency pastors.
The man, who was born in Saarbrücken, had behaved negatively several times before the crime and was known to the police, it was said. He was already banned from the library, but this is said to have only been noticed during the incident.
The Rector of the University of Mannheim, Thomas Puhl, said in a statement: “We are deeply affected by this terrible incident on our university campus and have yet to come to terms with what happened. Our thoughts are with those affected who had to witness the incident up close , and with the relatives of the perpetrator.” The university will support the police in their investigations in the coming days and will deal with the incident for itself as a university. “We are currently working on ways to offer those affected further psychological support.”
University operations will therefore continue with few restrictions. Parts of the building are currently closed due to the investigation, it was said on Tuesday evening.
Second fatal operation within a few months
It is the second fatal use of firearms by police in Mannheim within just a few months. Shortly before Christmas Eve, a 49-year-old called the emergency number. When the officers arrived, he was waiting on the street armed with a kitchen knife. During a subsequent confrontation, an officer fired several shots at the man, who was then taken to hospital injured and died shortly afterwards. The 49-year-old’s motive remained open at the time.
In March, the State Criminal Police Office announced that it had completed its investigation into the case. The file is now going to the public prosecutor. The officer who fired the fatal shots is still on duty.
Service weapons may only be used as an “ultima ratio”, i.e. as a last resort. Whether so-called direct coercion is used is decided by the respective police officer on a case-by-case basis and taking into account the principle of proportionality, as the Ministry of the Interior had already announced in previous cases.
