Enger (dpa / lnw) - The man who was hit in the leg by a police shot in Enger in East Westphalia and was seriously injured in a fire he had previously set is out of danger. The 59-year-old will continue to be treated in hospital because of his burn injuries, the police and the Bielefeld public prosecutor said on Friday. Before the police shots, he is said to have injured himself with a knife and approached officials with it.
The 59-year-old is said to have verbally threatened family members on the evening of November 3 and then started a fire in his semi-detached house in the Herford district. When the police arrived, he is said to have first injured himself with a sickle-shaped kitchen knife and then walked towards the police officers. He did not respond to repeated speeches, and two police officers then fired, the statement said.
A police spokesman did not say how many shots were fired. A bullet hit the man in the leg, but the injury was not life-threatening, according to investigators. He was initially in mortal danger "due to the severity of the burn injuries".
In a first report after the incident, the police reported that the 59-year-old had a possible previous mental illness and a possible motive in the “family environment”. Other family members were also in the home during the fire and were unharmed.
