Ansbach (dpa / lby) - The police officers who fired deadly shots at a knife attacker in Ansbach in September last year are not being investigated. This was announced by the public prosecutor's office in Ansbach on Thursday. When the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office checked what was happening at the city's train station, there were no indications of any misconduct on the part of the officials. The preliminary investigation was thus discontinued.
"The behavior of the police officers involved was necessary and justified to avert a present, immediate and unavoidable danger to the lives of the police officers involved," the public prosecutor's statement said.
On September 8, 2022, a 30-year-old man is said to have tried to kill two teenagers. Only the courageous intervention of a passer-by saved the life of a 17-year-old. When the police arrived, the attacker fled and then ran towards the police officers, knife in hand. Even after repeated requests and the threat of firearms, he did not put down his weapons. The man was hit in the arm with a first shot from a police weapon. After that, he continued to attack the police with the knife.
Fear of death, the policeman pulled the trigger a second time and hit the attacker in the chest, it said. At the same time, a second police officer also shot and hit the 30-year-old's neck. The man died at the scene of the crime.
"Milder alternatives for action were not available," said the public prosecutor. The second officer also had to shoot to avert danger to his colleague's life and limb. There was no time for a warning shot because the armed attacker came within a few meters.
The 30-year-old is under investigation on suspicion of terrorism at the Munich public prosecutor's office. This procedure is not yet complete.
