GSG9 officer shot dead: training and live ammunition confused in Putlos
During a training exercise by the Federal Police elite unit GSG9 on 11 May, an officer was fatally shot. Investigators have attributed the cause to a mix-up of ammunition types.
Fatal shot during GSG9 training due to confused ammunition
As reported by 20 Minuten, an elite officer was killed during a shooting training exercise of the Federal Police special unit GSG9 at the Bundeswehr training ground Putlos in Schleswig-Holstein. Police and prosecutors in Lübeck announced on Thursday that a colleague had allegedly confused training rounds with live ammunition.
According to initial investigation findings, the officer in question loaded the weapon with the wrong ammunition and subsequently fired the fatal shot at another member of his unit as part of the exercise. The victim died despite immediate rescue measures being initiated at the scene. The training had taken place on 11 May. The officer who mixed up the ammunition is now being investigated for manslaughter by negligence.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that he was "deeply shocked" by the officer's death. The GSG9 is the special unit of the Federal Police and is deployed in the most serious criminal cases – for example in hostage situations, attacks or particularly high-risk raids. According to the Federal Police, the unit carries out approximately 50 to 60 operations per year.
Source: 20 Minuten