The man was solely responsible for the death of the two officers, the Kaiserslautern public prosecutor announced on Tuesday. He is said to have shot the police officers, a woman and a man, at a traffic stop at the end of January to cover up illegal poaching earlier on.
The 38-year-old is said to have shot the female officer in the head with a shotgun. She was badly injured, but he assumed she was dead. The second shot was fired from the same gun at a greater distance, striking the male officer in the buttocks.
The officer fired his service pistol in defense. The 38-year-old then shot the man three times with a hunting rifle and severely injured him each time. The last shot hit the police officer in the head and was fatal.
The perpetrator then searched the officer lying on the floor for notes that could potentially be compromising. He is said to have then noticed she was still alive and shot her in the head with a shotgun once more.
For this reason, the public prosecutor’s office accuses him of attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm as well as two completed murders. According to the indictment, he is also guilty on charges of resistance and attack on law enforcement officers as well as poaching. The latter was the reason for the murders.
The sale of animals was essentially his livelihood at the time of the crime. The 38-year-old is said to have killed the police officers out of greed so that his poaching activity could continue. According to the investigation, he had neither a hunting license nor a gun permit.
Another 33-year-old was originally suspected of murder. However, the prosecutor dropped the case against him and was released from custody. The indictment accuses him, like the 38-year-old, of joint commercial poaching on the night of the crime.
The public prosecutor’s office in Saarbrücken is investigating further allegations of poaching. In addition, the 33-year-old made himself liable to prosecution because he helped the 38-year-old try to cover his tracks.
According to a preliminary psychiatric report, both men are considered guilty. According to the indictment, the 38-year-old’s wife was the legal owner of the murder weapons.
The wife of the 38-year-old is said to have bought the gun in mid-2021. The public prosecutor’s office in Kaiserslautern is investigating the woman for negligent homicide and a violation of the weapons law. The couple lives together.
The 24-year-old police officer and the 29-year-old police officer were shot dead on January 31.
As a result of the crime, the Koblenz public prosecutor’s office also brought charges against a 55-year-old at the beginning of May. The man is said to have called for police killings on the internet shortly after the double murder.
