Police officers shot an armed man several times in the middle of a shopping street in Gummersbach near Cologne. The 30-year-old had previously injured an officer in the face with a knife, they said police and public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. As FOCUS learned online, the police officer had to be stitched in the hospital.
The 30-year-old knife attacker was taken to hospital and was in critical condition. An uninvolved passer-by was also hit by a bullet – she suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh.
Passerby shot in thigh
The police were called to a supermarket at 12:14 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The emergency services wanted to check the 30-year-old there after a report was made, the police and public prosecutor said. The investigators wrote that it was a case of robbery, without giving any details about what happened in the supermarket. The man had apparently stolen some goods. When the suspect was approached by employees, he ran away.
Investigators initially did not comment on how the situation escalated. They only want to provide further information after the video recordings have been evaluated. This is not expected until this Wednesday at the earliest.
Police officers are said to have pursued the man in Gummersbach
Eyewitnesses reported to the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” that a man was being chased by police officers. Police tried to stop him with a chair. Finally shots were fired. A witness reported to “Bild”: “We heard screams outside and saw people running around excitedly on the street. Then I saw the police and then a man with what looked like a knife in his hand.”
The location is not far from Gummersbach train station. There are shops and cafés in the immediate vicinity. The operation caused excitement among many people in the city. However, the police quickly made it clear that there was no longer any danger to bystanders.
Bullet holes in the bakery
In the afternoon, the crime scene in front of a bakery was cordoned off and forensic specialists were on site. Bullet casings lay on the paving stones. Bullet holes could be seen in the bakery’s windows. A tent should protect possible tracks from the heavy rain.
Because the Gummersbach police officers used their service weapons during the operation, the Cologne police took over the further investigation.
Video of the dramatic police operation is circulating on the Internet
A video circulating on social networks is intended to show the operation. The police only confirmed that the video was known to the investigation.
The post first appeared on www.focus.de