Cop Cleared After Shooting Man in the Back at City Hub
Officer declared not guilty following on-duty gunshot incident from behind - Officer found not guilty following incident where he was shot from behind.
In a surprising turn of events, a police officer who fired at a fleeing man in the bustling Düsseldorf Central Station area has been acquitted by the Düsseldorf Regional Court. "He shouldn't have pulled the trigger," the judge stated, emphasizing that the shots, while disproportionate, fell short of being criminal.
Navigating high-stress situations, law enforcement personnel are often left with split-second decisions. Mistakes can, and do, happen.
The prosecutor had hoped for a verdict of eleven months' probation for reckless bodily harm in office, deeming the shots unwarranted. They pointed to a momentary lapse induced by stress as the root cause.
Keychain mistake for a knife
A tense night in August 2024 saw the officer patrolling the park near the Düsseldorf Central Station on a seemingly routine call. A man allegedly wielding a butterfly knife was threatening a couple, leading to the officer's intervention. Upon closer inspection, however, the suspect's "weapon" turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary keychain.
As the officer approached the visibly disturbed homeless individual, his weapon at the ready, the man refused to comply. Allegedly reaching for his pocket, the situation escalated, leading the officer to deploy a taser. The electric shock appeared to have minimal effect, and the man swiftly recovered, resisting attempts at handcuffing. The officer claimed that the man had seized the taser.
A hasty response
Having charged his firearm, the 27-year-old officer let loose three shots, one of which hit the then 32-year-old through his backpack in the back. Remarkably, the shooting survivor underwent emergency surgery to recover from the life-threatening injury. The evidence suggested that the 32-year-old was already at a distance of six to seven meters when the bullet reached him from behind.
The defense argued that the officer had no time for careful deliberation. Faced with an apparent threat of a dangerous assailant, he felt compelled to act quickly. "Someone's out there causing danger. He's got to respond to that," the defense stated.
Reflecting on the event, the accused officer admitted, "I deeply regret that someone was gravely injured. The situation was extremely hazardous for me. I had no other choice but to use my firearm."
A known face in the system
The victim, now 33, is well-known to the police and is considered mentally unstable. A disturbance he caused a few days prior to the shooting resulted in his commitment to a psychiatric hospital. Since 2018, he has had 17 encounters with the law in Düsseldorf. Following the shooting incident, there were four additional tussles with the authorities. The verdict is still pending. The public prosecutor's office will determine if an appeal is warranted.
- Regional Court
- Central Station
- Bodily Harm
- Düsseldorf Central Station
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Key Facts:
- The Düsseldorf Regional Court acquitted a police officer who shot a fleeing man in the back, ruling that the shots were disproportionate but not criminal.
- A 27-year-old officer shot a 32-year-old man in the back during an incident at a park near the Düsseldorf Central Station.
- The victim, now 33, is a known individual to the police and has a history of disturbances and encounters with the law. Source
- Despite the acquittal of the police officer by the Düsseldorf Regional Court, the shooting incident at the Düsseldorf Central Station has brought ongoing concerns regarding the use of force in vocational training for law enforcement officers to the forefront of politics and general news.
- In the midst of discussions about war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, and community policy, questions have arisen about the appropriate response to individuals with mental health issues in vocational training programs for law enforcement personnel, as demonstrated by the series of encounters the victim had with police since 2018 in Düsseldorf.
