Armed man shot by police outside kindergarten in Erkrath
A 59-year-old Ukrainian threatened officers with a kitchen knife outside two kindergartens in Erkrath. Police shot him, causing serious injuries.
Police shooting outside kindergarten in Erkrath-Hochdahl
A 59-year-old man was shot by police in Erkrath, North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday morning at approximately 9.55 a.m., after he had threatened officers with a large kitchen knife. The incident took place less than 50 metres from two kindergartens on Sandheider Straße.
A nursery teacher had observed the Ukrainian man prowling around the kindergartens with a knife in his hand and called the emergency services. When the police officers arrived, the man ran directly at them. "In order to ward off an attack with the knife, a shot was fired," explained a police spokesman. The attacker sustained serious injuries; the police were initially unable to state which part of the body he was struck in.
No other persons were injured. The kindergarten operation continued following the incident. Numerous officers rushed to Erkrath-Hochdahl; two crisis teams from the police were dispatched to the scene to calm concerned parents and answer their questions. "We took the situation very seriously," said the spokesman.
Since an external authority always investigates shootings involving service weapons, Düsseldorf police has taken over the case. The service weapon used was secured and is now being examined. A search dog continued to search for the fired projectile hours after the incident; the dog eventually indicated a find, which was collected. Whether this was actually the projectile remained unclear initially.
"We are currently not assuming that the man intended to attack the kindergarten," said the police spokesman. There had been no danger to the rest of the population. The injured man received initial medical care at the scene and was subsequently taken to hospital.
According to BILD, the shooting victim later stated that he had wanted to be shot by the police officers. He apparently suffers from serious mental health problems. The authorities are currently considering having him admitted to a psychiatric hospital.
Source: BILD