Shooting spree in Cologne: restaurants, jewellers and homes targeted
Since the end of May, shootings and arson attacks have increased in Cologne and the surrounding area. The police are remaining tight-lipped for investigative reasons.
Violence in Cologne: chronology of an unprecedented series
Since the end of May, Cologne and surrounding municipalities have been repeatedly shaken by shootings and arson attacks. According to tagesschau.de, investigators believe it is a violent series without precedent in the region. The targets: restaurants, cafés, jewellery shops and private homes – in many cases with Turkish owners. Extortion is considered a possible motive, but police and the public prosecutor's office are providing no further details about suspects for "investigative reasons".
Bullet holes in the room of a sleeping child
At around 6:35 a.m., witnesses alerted the emergency services after hearing gunshots in Cologne-Mülheim. Officers found bullet holes in the façade and front windows of a ground-floor pizzeria. A projectile was eventually found in the room of a ten-year-old child, who was asleep at the time of the attack.
About an hour later, around 7:00 a.m., residents on Frankfurter Straße observed a man firing several shots at a bar, inside which there was a person at that time. The shooter fled as a passenger in a vehicle.
Around 7:40 a.m., four projectiles struck the shop window of a café on Bonner Straße. The perpetrator, described as bald, fled on foot.
Attack on kebab shop owner's house in Erftstadt
At around 4:45 a.m., residents of a detached house in Erftstadt-Köttingen heard gunshots and alerted the police. Several projectiles had struck the building's façade. WDR investigations revealed that the house belongs to the owner of a well-known Turkish kebab shop chain. Police later released photographs of alleged shooters.
On Ansbacher Straße, residents noticed gunshot sounds around 23:40. Emergency crews found bullet holes in the façade and spent shell casings on the street. Investigators are examining in this connection the threat made to a resident who had previously got into an argument with an armed e-scooter rider.
Jeweller on Keupstraße, watch shop in the city centre
Around 3:40 a.m., shots were fired at a jewellery shop on Keupstraße. Spent shell casings lay on the opposite side of the street. According to witness statements, two suspects fled on foot.
When opening a watch shop on Breite Straße, an employee discovered bullet holes in the façade. Police believe the shots were fired between 1 and 4 August. On 12 August, unknown perpetrators visited the shop again – gunshots rang out once more.
Elderly couple unhurt, arrests in biker circles
Around 2:20 a.m., projectiles struck the bedroom window of a flat. The two residents, aged 70 and 71, remained unhurt. Weeks later, the public prosecutor's office announced the arrest of two suspects. Investigators suspect a dispute in biker circles as the background.
Kebab shop shot at, three arrests
Around 1:30 a.m., a man opened fire on a closed Turkish kebab shop in Cologne-Höhenberg. Police used a helicopter in their search and managed to locate the getaway vehicle. Three suspects were arrested.
Arson attacks on premises on Brühler Straße
Around 2:00 a.m., two to three people dressed in dark clothing set flammable material alight in front of a premises on Brühler Straße. The entrance door shattered. A few days later, another attack followed: around 2:55 a.m., an incendiary device was ignited, with a table and chairs catching fire.
Explosive device injures resident, shots fired at pedestrians
Around 6:00 a.m., an explosive device detonated in the entrance area of a bar. The premises was closed at that time; a resident of the flat above was injured. Police are searching for several suspects.
Around 4:30 a.m., a 32-year-old pedestrian in the Zülpicher district was struck by projectiles and seriously injured. An unknown perpetrator had fired from a passing car at him. The alleged shooter was arrested in Hungary in July.
Whether and to what extent the individual acts are connected is, according to police, still the subject of investigation.
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)