Berngau: Man shoots two inspectors, police arrest him
A 60-year-old shot two employees of the district authority during a routine weapons inspection in Berngau. After hours of negotiations, specialist units stormed his house and overpowered him.
Large-scale operation after fatal shootings in the Upper Palatinate
According to WELT, a 60-year-old man in Berngau shot two employees of the Neumarkt district authority as they attempted to conduct a routine weapons inspection. The two victims – a 45-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman – were fatally wounded. The suspect then barricaded himself in his residential house and announced he would not surrender without resistance.
Initial reports reached police at around 14:00 on Thursday afternoon, when witnesses reported gunshots near the white residential house in the town centre of Berngau. Officers found the male employee lying motionless on the floor directly in front of the entrance door. The suspect contacted the police operations centre by telephone and admitted to having fired shots. He stated he was in his flat and in possession of firearms.
The large-scale operation by Bavarian police began immediately. Special task units arrived in armoured vehicles, and a police helicopter circled over the town. Officers cordoned off the area around the suspect's house and ordered residents of surrounding buildings not to leave their homes. During the subsequent securing of the flat, emergency responders discovered the second body – the 54-year-old colleague of the man. The police spokeswoman stated: "We assume that she died immediately as a result of the shots."
For hours, experienced specialists conducted negotiations with the barricaded man to persuade him to surrender. The police spokesperson explained the approach: "We always try to bring about a peaceful solution, which is fundamentally done through communication." However, the suspect refused to leave the flat.
At approximately 02:20 – just before half past two at night – police changed their tactics. Emergency units stormed the house, using explosives in the process and opening fire. The 60-year-old was slightly wounded by hits to his leg. After the operation, the alleged gunman received medical treatment and was arrested.
The two authority employees had come to Berngau to conduct a routine inspection in connection with legal weapons ownership. During such inspections, among other things, it is checked whether weapons are stored correctly. The motive for the fatal shots remained initially unclear. Criminal investigators from Regensburg will question the man in close coordination with the Nuremberg-Fürth state prosecutor's office.
The police spokeswoman on the course of the storming: "The whole thing certainly did not happen without resistance, because the officers also had to open fire." The 60-year-old suspect will now face the investigation.
Source: WELT