Three months after the fatal shooting in a youth facility in Stade, there is disbelief: Why did six people lose their lives on June 29th? The suspected shooter died a short time later in custody. The relatives are therefore not only left with sadness, but also with many questions. What has now been clarified - and what is not:
What happened on June 29th in Stade?
That day, the attacker was invited to a conversation at the mother-child facility west of Hamburg - and took a weapon with him. Several shots are fired. Five people die at the scene, a sixth victim later in hospital.
After the crime, the man got into a car as a passenger and fled. The police chase the car and fire shots. They arrest the shooter and the driver.
What is known about the dead?
Four women and two men were killed in the shooting. Three victims worked at the facility. The others were employees of the Hanover region's youth welfare office who had traveled to Stade just for the interview.
One fate particularly moves many people: a 32-year-old employee of the youth welfare office leaves behind two children aged three and four. They had just lost their father a few weeks earlier. Numerous people took part in a fundraising campaign for the orphans, and more than 816,000 euros have been raised so far.
What was the perpetrator's motive?
The investigators assume there is a dispute over custody of the daughter. However, that was and is a hypothesis, not a legally established motive. The Stade public prosecutor's office refers to the investigation and is still not disclosing any details about possible motives, planning or statements.
The parents had been deprived of custody because their three-month-old baby had a cerebral hemorrhage. Doctors suspect shaken baby syndrome. A court then decided that the mother should live with her child in the Stade facility. Both parents took legal action against it.
The Hanover public prosecutor's office has now commissioned an expert to find out more about the cause of the cerebral hemorrhage. The result could be available in mid-October. If there is evidence of abuse, the mother could face charges or an arrest warrant. The child has lived separately from the mother since the crime.
What happened to the suspected shooter?
The 45-year-old was taken into custody after his arrest. Three weeks later, an employee at the Bremervörde correctional facility found him dead in his cell. Investigators concluded he took his own life. An autopsy confirms this, but according to the public prosecutor's office, "longer investigations are ongoing in order to be able to completely rule out another cause of death from every point of view."
Before his death, the man was under special observation. The security measures were gradually relaxed and lifted one day before his death. Relatives demand that possible omissions be dealt with. The Justice Department said in September that there was no evidence of errors.
What does his death mean for the investigation?
The public prosecutor's office stopped the investigation against the 45-year-old for six counts of murder. No proceedings can be brought against dead people in Germany. The relatives therefore have no opportunity to face the alleged shooter in court. The unanswered question of why is an additional burden, said a lawyer for a bereaved family.
Who else is the investigators targeting?
The public prosecutor's office is examining what role the shooter's partner and mother of their child played. Was she in the know, perhaps even directly involved in the planning? It is also unclear what the driver of the getaway car knew about the crime.
The investigators are not commenting on this. The proceedings against the two women have not yet been completed. “I cannot give a reliable answer to the question of when and how this will be the case,” said a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office. This is difficult to predict in such investigations.
Another lead leads to Berlin, where special forces arrested a 49-year-old. He is suspected of having sold the murder weapon to the shooter. The man is in custody.
What consequences will be drawn after the crime?
“The act of violence on June 29th was a serious, shocking event for the employees that will resonate for a long time,” said Sonja Wendt from the Hanover region. “Many of them are insecure and have a clear need for security.”
The Hanover region announced that consequences should now follow and employees should be better protected. For example, there were inspections with the police with the result that entrances to the youth welfare office are currently being equipped with video intercom systems. Difficult conversations are now being held in a room near a security service.
Emergency watches are to be procured in a six-month pilot project, and alarm systems are also planned. “It is intended to be used in particular in areas where employees work in the field and can be exposed to potentially dangerous situations,” said Wendt. In individual cases, employees should wear protective vests. But it is also clear: contact with people is important - and there will never be complete security.
