There are still big question marks behind the police operation with fatal shots at a 16-year-old in Dortmund. Now an audio document appears that can contribute to the clarification. The shooter has now been suspended, and four other officers are being transferred internally.
The police operation with the fatal shots at a 16-year-old in Dortmund has been recorded. "We have a sound recording," said the chief public prosecutor responsible, Carsten Dombert. The supervisor of the youth welfare facility, who dialed the emergency call and stayed close to the operation, stayed on the line the entire time.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) is still evaluating the recording and is waiting for the report. The supervisor and the police officer in the control center can be heard, said Dombert. In the background you can also hear people talking and popping noises that could come from Tasers or submachine guns. The BKA is apparently able to extract and evaluate these noises.
The police were called to the facility's courtyard on August 8, where the 16-year-old was holding a knife to his stomach. The operation initially ran as an intervention in a suicide attempt. The police sprayed him with pepper spray and used tasers. According to the current status of the investigation, it is not clear whether and how the youth actually approached the officers with a knife.
A 29-year-old police officer shot six times with a submachine gun, four shots hit. The youth died. The shooter is initially being investigated on suspicion of bodily harm resulting in death, against four other police officers in connection with Taser and tear gas operations on suspicion of dangerous bodily harm in office or incitement to do so. According to the report to the interior committee, the public prosecutor's office is examining whether the investigation into the shooter for manslaughter will be expanded. "But you shouldn't draw the conclusion from the examination itself that this is the case," emphasized the responsible senior public prosecutor, Carsten Dombert. "The final assessment of criminal liability is always reserved for the conclusion of the investigation."
The shooter has since been suspended. The German press agency learned this from investigators. According to the Dortmund police, four other officers were initially transferred internally. The SPD is now demanding a special session of the legal committee, which could meet next week. The police had made the disciplinary proceedings against the officials public on Thursday evening. However, it was not said which of the five officials concerned was suspended. When asked, the police did not provide any further information on Friday.
