Man is said to have threatened police with a knife – they shoot him
The police shot a man in Mannheim. He later died in a hospital. What is known so far about the deadly operation.
Shock shortly before Christmas Eve in Mannheim : A man is said to have threatened the police with a knife on Johann-Schütte-Strasse in the Schönau district. She then shot him. A short time later, the man died in a clinic, as the police announced.
The 49-year-old is said to have previously called the police himself – because he had committed a crime. A patrol with three officers drove to the Mannheim district of Schönau, said a spokesman for the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office (LKA). The 49-year-old was waiting on the street armed with a knife and threatening the officers.
According to an eyewitness, four shots were fired
The police then used their service weapon and shot the man, as the police have now confirmed. A reporter reported – citing an eyewitness – that four shots were fired.
The police report also states that the 49-year-old was injured by the shots and was immediately taken to a clinic with attempts at resuscitation. The man ultimately died there.
According to the information, nothing was initially known about the background and motive of the 49-year-old. According to initial findings, there was no dispute, said the LKA spokesman. The public prosecutor’s office and police initially did not provide any further details.
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Shots only as an “ultima ratio”
For reasons of neutrality, the LKA took over the investigation. Among other things, it will now be checked how the officials and the 49-year-old reacted, said the spokesman. Investigators are asking witnesses who witnessed the incident to provide recorded videos. A special information portal has been set up for this purpose.
According to the Interior Ministry, 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. The LKA is investigating what the situation was in the current case.
