Rhineland-Palatinate
After fatal shots at two police officers: police have two suspects in custody
After the deadly shots at two police officers in the Palatinate, the police in Sulzbach, Saarland, arrested a suspect. A vehicle was tracked down there in the late afternoon and two apartments were searched, according to a police spokeswoman. MELANIE MORBACH, PRESS SPOKESMAN OF THE SAARLAND STATE POLICE HEADQUARTERS: “We had indications that the 38-year-old suspect who was being publicly searched for was staying here. That has finally been confirmed, fortunately. And special units from Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland were then able to arrest the suspect in the area of the vehicle without resistance.” Another man was arrested during a search of the apartment, police said. It is currently being checked whether he is related to the crime. The search measures continued because it could not be ruled out that there were accomplices. Two police officers were shot dead during a traffic check on a district road on Monday night. The police then searched for a 38-year-old man.
After the death of two officers, two suspects are now in police custody. It is a 38-year-old Saarlander who was publicly wanted. Little is known about the second man.
In the end, the search pressure was too strong: after the fatal shots at two police officers in the Palatinate, the suspect, who was publicly wanted, turned himself in to the police. The 38-year-old from the Saarland district of Neunkirchen was arrested around 13 hours after the brutal bloody crime in front of a house in Saarland’s Sulzbach by special police forces, as a police spokesman in Kaiserslautern reported on Monday evening. The suspect had previously contacted the police through a lawyer.
A short time later, a 32-year-old second suspect was arrested without resistance in the house in a residential area. The investigation should reveal the connection between him and the fatal shots at the 24-year-old police candidate and the 29-year-old chief inspector. Both men are Germans and initially did not comment on the matter. The 38-year-old should be brought before the magistrate on Tuesday.
Searches continue
The search measures continued, however, because it could not be ruled out that there were other accomplices. Weapons, among other things, were seized during searches. How this is related to the fact is not yet certain.
The police had previously publicly searched for the game dealer from the Neunkirchen district. According to dpa information, the investigators 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 police candidate, who studied at the Rhineland-Palatinate Police University in the Hunsrück, and the chief inspector were shot early in the morning at around 4.20 a.m. during a traffic check on a district road in the western Palatinate. According to information from security circles, the officials had previously reported by radio that dead game had been found in a vehicle.
This 38-year-old Saarlander is considered a suspect and was arrested for the fatal shooting of two police officers
© Police Rhineland-Palatinate
Later they reported: “They’re shooting”. The policeman is said to have fired several shots at the scene. It was initially unclear in the evening whether it was a warning shot or whether the officer injured a suspect. According to the first findings, the two arrested men were unharmed, reports the police in Saarland.
His colleague’s weapon was obviously not used, her pistol was still in its holster. According to the police, the young woman died immediately. The 29-year-old chief inspector from Kusel was initially still alive, but died when the rescue workers arrived, a police spokesman reported. Both victims came from Saarland.
Death by headshot
The two police officers were on a routine trip as a civil patrol, but wore uniforms and safety vests, a spokeswoman for the Kaiserslautern police said. The fatal shots were fired at Kreisstraße 22 in Ulmet in the Kusel district. According to what was initially known about the course of events, the officers had probably approached the vehicle closer and had started checking when the shot was fired.
The police could not initially confirm that the two were killed with headshots. However, the protective vests reached from the hips to the neck, so this is likely. The police assumed that an autopsy would be ordered. It was initially unclear how many shots were fired in total.
Traces were secured at the crime scene on Monday. “At the moment every stone is being turned on this street,” said the police spokeswoman. More than 50 tips from the public have already been received. These would be evaluated one by one.
Politicians are shocked
Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer and Interior Minister Roger Lewentz said they were “deeply shocked” by the fatal shots. “Our thoughts are with the relatives,” said a statement from the two SPD politicians in Mainz. The Prime Minister ordered mourning flags in the country. Black ribbons are provided for all patrol cars in the country. Other federal states also followed this step for their police officers. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said: “Regardless of the motive behind the crime, this crime is reminiscent of an execution and it shows that police officers risk their lives every day for our security.”