Knife attack in care home: 72-year-old removed from wheelchair arrested
Following a knife attack at a care home in Olfen, an 86-year-old died, and two further women were seriously injured. A 72-year-old resident is in custody awaiting trial.
Care home in Münsterland: one dead after knife attack
Following a knife attack at a care home in Münsterland, an arrest warrant has been issued against a 72-year-old resident. According to DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime), investigators are charging the man with manslaughter and two counts of attempted manslaughter.
On Friday evening, the resident, who uses a wheelchair, is said to have stabbed several women with a knife in the cafeteria of the home in Olfen. An 86-year-old resident of the care home died at the scene. Two further women aged 81 and 83 were seriously injured; one of them was temporarily in life-threatening condition. On Saturday, her condition was described as stabilised for the time being.
Police arrested the suspect without resistance. According to the Bild newspaper, he went to his room after the attack. Investigators expect that the German national will begin his custody awaiting trial in a prison hospital. The motive and the man's relationship to the victims remained initially unclear; a murder investigation team is investigating.
The attack caused shock in the town. A parish hall next to the care home became a point of contact for affected relatives. Pastor Ulrich Franke of the Catholic parish St. Vitus told the German Press Agency: "The people in Olfen are shocked and affected." Prayers were to be said for the victims and those affected during Sunday masses. The Diocese of Münster wrote on Instagram: "We pray for all, for whom today is no longer as yesterday was."
According to the operator, the senior centre is home to 77 care-dependent elderly residents. The care facility is run by the city of Olfen. Police officers were still on site the day after the attack; several police vehicles stood in front of the building, and the blinds of the cafeteria were drawn down.
Eugen Brysch, chair of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, told the news agency that violence in care facilities occurs. A nationwide study had shown that more than 60 per cent of care home managers had reported at least one violent incident between residents in the previous twelve months. "Causes can include, for example, dementia, limited impulse control, or conflicts over personal closeness and space," said Brysch.
Figures on such incidents often referred to observed cases reported by staff or care home managers. The actual number of affected residents was unknown. Brysch demanded: "It is time to shed light on this. The health minister is called upon to act." However, he was previously unaware of a case like the one in Olfen; "in a certain sense it stands on its own."