crime
Killed police officers in the Palatinate – many questions still open
The state flag in front of the West Palatinate Police Headquarters and the Kusel Police Inspectorate flies at half mast. Photo: Thomas Frey/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
One day following the death of two police officers in the West Palatinate, the shock is deep. Two men were arrested – but are there accomplices? And what was the exact background of the fact?
Investigations in full swing: In the case of the fatal shots at two police officers in the Palatinate, many questions are still unanswered despite two arrests. The search measures are being continued because, according to the police, it cannot be ruled out that there are other accomplices.
The investigators in Kaiserslautern want to comment on the current status on Tuesday. At the same time, a debate unfolds regarding the safety and risks of the police profession.
Early Monday morning, a 24-year-old police officer and a 29-year-old chief inspector were shot dead during a traffic check on a district road in the Palatinate near the district town of Kusel. According to information from security circles, the officials had previously reported by radio that dead game had been found in a vehicle. Later they reported “They are shooting”.
The policeman is said to have fired several more shots at the crime scene – it was still unclear whether they were warning shots or the officer injured a suspect. His colleague’s weapon was obviously not used. While the young woman, who was still studying at the Police University, died immediately, according to the police, her colleague was initially still alive. But he died when paramedics arrived.
Two arrests in the evening
Two Germans were arrested on Monday evening. First, a 38-year-old – a game dealer from the Saarland district of Neunkirchen – turned himself in to the police following they had publicly searched for him. The suspect reported to the police through his lawyer and was arrested in front of a house in Sulzbach, Saarland, a police spokesman for the German Press Agency reported.
According to dpa information, the police found the suspect’s papers at the crime scene. According to information from security circles, the man had been noticed by the police in the past for hitting the road and is said to have a gun permit. The man is to be brought before the magistrate on Tuesday, but according to the police he initially did not make any statements. A short time later, a 32-year-old suspect was also arrested in the house in Sulzbach. The investigation should reveal the connection between him and the shots. He also initially did not comment on the matter. Weapons, among other things, were seized during a search.
Münch: “It is incomprehensible”
The President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, told the editorial network Germany that his authority would “provide his full support” in investigating the crime. “It is incomprehensible when police officers become the target of an attack and lose their lives while fulfilling their task of protecting the population from danger.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed his condolences to the relatives of the police officers who were shot. What happened in Kusel depresses him a lot, Scholz wrote on Twitter. The Chancellor emphasized that he was thinking of the many police officers who risk their lives every day to protect citizens.
Domestic politicians from several parties at federal level also focused on the risks of working as a police officer. The domestic spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Sebastian Hartmann, told the “Bild” newspaper: “The dangerous nature of the police profession is brutal. The crime must be completely cleared up, also with a view to the best protection for police officers.”
A police spokesman from Trier reported on Monday evening that some participants at protest events once morest the Corona measures had condoled the police officers. Candles were lit to commemorate the two dead officers. A spokesman for the police headquarters in Kaiserslautern also said that there had been statements of solidarity with the police at some of the events.
