42-year-old charged with attempted murder after shots fired outside church in Wald, ZH
A 42-year-old Italian shot a church sacristan after a service in Wald on 13 October 2024. The public prosecutor's office is seeking a six-year prison sentence.
Three shots after Sunday service in Wald
According to zuerioberland24.ch, the Sunday service at the Reformed Church in Wald ended in a shooting on 13 October 2024. A 42-year-old man sat down next to his 85-year-old foster mother during the service and spoke to her insistently.
A church sacristan who observed the scene signalled to the accused, according to the indictment, that this behaviour would not be tolerated. The 42-year-old, who suffers from drug addiction, then left the bench and went outside.
When the elderly woman wanted to leave for home, the accused positioned himself in her way. The church sacristan intervened again. At the moment the latter alerted the police by mobile telephone, the man suddenly drew a weapon.
The first shot hit the ground, the second narrowly missed the church sacristan's upper body and struck a car window. The church sacristan then pushed the elderly woman towards the church entrance to bring her to safety.
With the third shot, the accused hit the helper from behind in the thigh. The bullet became lodged 16 centimetres deep in the leg and had to be removed under general anaesthetic.
According to the indictment, the accused accepted the risk of fatally injuring his foster mother or the church sacristan. The public prosecutor's office is seeking a conviction for attempted murder and property damage, as well as an unconditional prison sentence of six years and a ban from the country for seven years.
The prison sentence is to be suspended in favour of an inpatient measure so that the convicted person can receive treatment for their addiction disorder. The accused is currently held in Winterthur prison.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)