On Wednesday, a driver was shot and killed in Bonnevoie after he reportedly tried to drive into a police control. What led the officers to shoot?
In a tense international climate, in which acts of terrorism such as the one in Nice, in Berlin and - most recently - in Münster, are sill very much on everyone's mind, the incident in Bonnevoie displayed a number of troubling parallels.
What all these cases have in common is that drivers weaponised their cars in order to randomly injur or even kill other people. Did the thought of these incidents cross police officers' minds when they noticed and attempted to inspect the suspicious driver? Was he really driving at breakneck-speed, as reported by some witnesses, and did this prompt officers to stop the car?
Questions needing answers
In the wake of the tragic outcome of the routine police control on Wednesday, these are questions that need answering sooner rather than later. Luxembourg laws allow police officers to use guns and other weapons only in cases of self-defence and when there is "absolute necessity". And even then, their defensive use of weapons needs to be proportionate to the attack.
In a hypothetical scenario, police officers would be allowed to shoot if a car was coming directly at them with the intent purpose of trying to run them over. However, if the officers in question jump aside and manage to evade the charging car, they would not be allowed to turn around and shoot at the vehicle, because it would no longer present an acute threat to their lives.
Only a split second
While the theoretical dos and don'ts are clearly laid out for cases such as the one in Bonnevoie, officers often only have a split second to react and make a decision. So, were police officers on the scene in Bonnevoie guided by reason or reflex?
This question will have to be answered by the police inspection office IGP. It has taken over the case and has already interviewed a young officer who was in the thick of it on Wednesday. He is currently still in shock and on sick leave.
The police trade union SNPGL wants the state to provide legal assistance to the policeman.
Read more of our coverage of the tragic incident in the links box below.
