Allegedly, LKA authorities handed over a firearm to an individual implicated in a homicide.
In 2019, a tragedy unfolded in North Rhine-Westphalia when a woman was fatally shot with a revolver. This weapon had a peculiar origin, as it was supposedly from the LKA's storage facility in Bavaria and was meant to be destroyed later. The question on everyone's mind is, how did the perpetrator obtain this weapon? The police are currently delving into this matter, focusing on several officers.
The Munich Police Presidium has hinted at a potential link between this high-profile murder and an alleged case of impropriety involving Bavarian LKA officers. The murder weapon, a revolver, was used in Neuss on April 26, 2019, and came from the LKA's storage facility for confiscated weapons. This facility was supposed to have disposed of the weapon in 2018, according to a spokesperson from the Munich Police Presidium.
The Presidium announced on a Friday that they are investigating three individuals - two active and one retired officer - who were involved in the LKA's weapons disposal. They are suspected of misappropriation and selling goods from the storage facility. The alleged violation is a breach of duty of care, as per Section 133 of the Criminal Code. Two additional suspects, who allegedly bought and resold weapons, are also under investigation.
One of these weapons was a registered revolver that vanished without a trace from the Munich LKA storage facility. The weapon was slated for destruction in a Meitingen steelworks in 2018, as per the spokesperson from the Munich Police Presidium. To maintain impartiality, the case is not being handled by the LKA itself, but rather by the Police Presidium.
How did the murderer get hold of the revolver?
The Munich police did not disclose the identity of the murderer in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2019, but the case made headlines. At that time, a former contestant on the reality show "Germany's Next Top Model" pursued his fleeing ex-girlfriend into a flower shop in Neuss and fatally shot her with four shots. The 27-year-old initiated an emergency call to the police before his demise, saying, "My ex-boyfriend has a pistol". He then laid down on the rail tracks to take his life, but only sustained severe injuries to his legs and survived. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2019, although he maintained his innocence until the end.
The manner in which the revolver from the Munich LKA storage facility ended up in the hands of the murderer is now under investigation. The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office had initially probed the matter from 2019 to 2021, but could not identify any suspects. The case was reopened in 2023 due to the emergence of new evidence.
LKA President Norbert Radmacher has expressed regret over these incidents. As a result, the LKA's weapons disposal was temporarily suspended, and the team responsible for that area is being completely restructured.
The investigation by the Munich police has revealed that the police are looking into several officers in relation to the disappearance of the revolver from their storage facility. The perpetrator of the 2019 tragedy in North Rhine-Westphalia may have obtained the weapon due to potential misappropriation and selling of goods from the facility by some officers.
