Police officers killed during control in Germany, man arrested

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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 in the western Palatinate. According to what was first known about the course of events, the officers had probably approached the vehicle closer and had started checking when the shot was fired.

There is no trace of the murder weapon and getaway car

The police initially did not confirm that the two police officers were shot in the head. 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. There was no trace of the perpetrators’ guns – and initially not of the getaway car either. In which direction the perpetrator or perpetrators escaped was also not certain.

Traces were secured at the crime scene on Monday. “At the moment every stone is being turned on this street,” said the spokeswoman. A police spokesman said that more than 50 tips from the population had already been received via the hotline alone. The police are currently checking suspects in several federal states, and apartments could also be searched.

The police asked residents not to pick up hitchhikers in the Kusel district and in Saarland. The state chairwoman of the police union (GdP), Sabrina Kunz, appealed to the citizens in the Kaiserslautern area to refrain from gatherings against Corona on Monday, out of consideration for the terrible act and the investigations, for which many forces would be needed.

Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate Malu Dreyer and Minister of the Interior Roger Lewentz were “deeply shocked” by the deadly 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.

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.” (APA/dpa)