AEarly Monday morning in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Kusel, two police officers were killed by gunfire during a traffic check. This was announced by the West Palatinate police headquarters. The background to the case is still unclear.
According to a police spokesman, the 24-year-old police officer and her 29-year-old colleague were on a patrol. At around 4.20 a.m. they were shot dead during a traffic check. According to the police spokesman, they had previously radioed that shots had been fired.
According to information from security circles, the two police officers were able to contact their colleagues before they were shot and said: “They are shooting.” The two police officers gave no indication of who shot them.
A motive is still unclear. Accordingly, they had previously informed their colleagues that they had found dead game in the vehicle. The “image” had previously reported about it. It was initially unclear what caused the vehicle inspection on the district road in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was not very busy at this time.
Interior Minister pledges support
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reacted with great dismay. “Regardless of the motive behind the crime: This crime is reminiscent of an execution and it shows that police officers risk their lives every day for our security,” said the SPD politician on Monday. “My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of the victims. We will do everything we can to apprehend the perpetrators.”
Faeser said she offered the Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) all the support needed to arrest the perpetrators as quickly as possible and for the investigation.
Don’t pick up hitchhikers
According to the police, it is still unclear whether there are actually several perpetrators. A personal description is not available. The police asks the population in the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Kusel not to pick up hitchhikers. This is a precautionary measure. Since the shots were fired during a traffic check, it can be assumed that the perpetrators were or were traveling by car, the spokesman said.
The escape direction of the perpetrator or perpetrators is also not known. The police have also extended their search to neighboring Saarland. On site, they searched with uniformed and civilian forces. Forensics are currently at the scene of the crime, and according to a spokesman, the log of the radio message is being evaluated. District Road 22 is completely closed in the Mayweilerhof and Ulmet areas. Witnesses who have noticed something suspicious are asked to contact the Kaiserslautern police on 0631/369-2528.
reactions from politics
Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer and Interior Minister Roger Lewentz were “deeply shocked”. “Our thoughts are with the relatives,” said a statement from the two SPD politicians in Mainz on Monday. “The act is appalling. We are very upset that two young people have lost their lives while on duty.” As a result of the events, the Prime Minister, in agreement with the Minister of the Interior, has ordered mourning flags (half-staff) in the country as a visible sign of mourning. Black ribbons are provided for all patrol cars in the country.
Thuringian politicians have also reacted with sadness and dismay: Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) tweeted on Monday: “We mourn the police officers in Rhineland-Palatinate who were cowardly murdered on duty!”. Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) spoke on Twitter of a “sneaky act” that stunned. “We all hope for a quick success in the search,” Maier tweeted. The Thuringian Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund (Greens) made a similar statement. She also thanked all the police officers who do their duty every day with full commitment.
The CDU state chairwoman Julia Klöckner was also “shocked” by the act. “Two police officers who were doing their job have been shot. Two officers who were there for our security, who have now become victims of incredible violence themselves,” said Klöckner. She expressed “full solidarity” to the families and relatives of the victims.
Green leader-designate Omid Nouripour has described the violent death as “extremely depressing”. Police officers were doing their service for the common good and were working “millions of hours and overtime” during the pandemic, Nouripour said in Berlin on Monday. “When your life is in danger during traffic checks, it’s a very, very difficult matter, and hopefully we will have information very quickly.” He expressed his sympathy to the bereaved. “I believe we are all with them and know that their loss is the loss of all of us.”
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