Investigation after gunfire Police find numerous weapons at Meckenheim shooter’s home
Meckenheim · In Meckenheim a 44-year-old man was involved in a gunfight with the police on Sunday evening. The forensic medical examination has now revealed that the man shot himself. One policeman from Bonn was seriously injured during the major operation.
A 44-year-old man fired several shots on Sunday evening in Meckenheim. The man died after an exchange of shots with the police. As the police announced on Monday afternoon, the forensic medical examination showed that a "strafing shot" in the head area was fatal. The two other gunshot wounds found on the 44-year-old man were not the cause of death. The police and the public prosecutor's office assume that the 44-year-old shot himself in the head.
During the search of his flat, in addition to knives, machetes and an axe, a large quantity of ammunition and several long and short weapons were found and seized. According to the current state of the investigation, the 44-year-old was in possession of a gun ownership card as a sports marksman. However, only some of the weapons found were registered on this card. During the crime on Sunday evening, the man was carrying two handguns and ammunition.
The police suspect that the motivation for the crime is private. So far, no indications of a political, religious or other background have been found.
The scene of the crime in Meckenheim stretched over three streets on Sunday evening: At around 9 pm, residents had initially reported shots in the area of Frankenweg and Tombergstraße near Meckenheim's old town. According to the callers, a man was on the street there and had fired around him. The police set out to the scene of the crime with a large contingent. The 44-year-old shot at the arriving police officers, seriously injuring a Bonn police officer with a bullet to his hand. His colleagues managed to get him out of the danger zone. The 60-year-old had to be admitted to hospital for further treatment. However, his condition is not life-threatening.
The gunman continued to run through the streets and shot several times at house facades, windows and cars until he finally barricaded himself in a house entrance in Josef-Kreuser-Straße. "The situation was dicey for us," said Robert Scholten, spokesman for the Bonn police, to the GA on Monday. "It was dark, the scene of the crime was first on an open street and then on a private property. Our goal was that the shooter would not enter any house and would not escape.“
According to GA information, the officers tried to contact the 44-year-old. The shooter is said to have fired again at the police officers who returned the shots at around 22:45. According to the forensic medical examination, the 44-year-old must have shot himself in the head and died of his injuries on the spot. An emergency doctor was only able to establish the man's death.
The police, who were on site with heavily armed special forces from Cologne, cordoned off the area extensively. Between Frankenweg and Josef-Kreuser-Straße, numerous bullet holes were found on cars and houses. According to the initial findings of the police, no passer-by or resident were injured.
Original text: Nathalie Dreschke, Ulrich Felsmann, Marcel Wolber, Christoph Meurer and Axel Vogel. Translation: Mareike Graepel
