Shots fired in pedestrian zone - police stop armed man
Police officers have shot an armed man several times in the middle of a shopping street in Gummersbach near Cologne. The 30-year-old had previously injured an officer in the face with a knife, according to the police and public prosecutor's office. The 30-year-old was taken to hospital and is said to be in a critical condition. An uninvolved passer-by was also hit by a bullet - she suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh.
The police were called to a supermarket on Tuesday afternoon. According to the police and the public prosecutor's office, the officers wanted to check the 30-year-old after a report. It was a case of robbery, the investigators wrote, without giving details of what had happened in the supermarket.
The investigators did not initially comment on how the situation escalated. They only want to provide further details after video recordings have been analyzed. This is not expected until this Wednesday at the earliest.
Operation near the train station
Eyewitnesses told the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" that a man was chased by police officers. Police officers had tried to stop him with a chair. In the end, shots were fired. A witness told Bild: "We heard shouting outside and saw people running around excitedly in the street. Then I saw the police and then a man with an object in his hand that looked like a knife."
The scene of the incident is not far from Gummersbach train station. There are stores and cafés in the immediate vicinity. The operation therefore caused a stir among many people in the town. However, the police quickly made it clear that there was no longer any danger to bystanders.
In the afternoon, the crime scene in front of a bakery was cordoned off and forensic specialists were on site. Bullet casings were lying on the paving stones. Bullet holes were visible in the shop windows of the bakery. A tent was set up to protect possible evidence from the heavy rain. Because the Gummersbach police officers had used their service weapons during the operation, the Cologne police took over the further investigation. A video purporting to show the operation circulated on social networks. The police only confirmed that the video was known to the investigators.
The police operation nearby the train station in Gummersbach has raised concerns about crime in the area. Witnesses reported seeing a man being pursued by police, who eventually fired their weapons. This incident, reminiscent of the recent shooting in the pedestrian zone, has left many in the town on edge.
Source: www.dpa.com
