Two government employees shot dead during gun control - new background on the shooter known

According to Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), the shooter from Berngau is a hunter and sports shooter. According to the current status of the investigation, the 60-year-old was not previously known to the police, said Herrmann on the sidelines of an appointment in Oberschleißheim. There are also no indications of extremist attitudes so far.

The German's motive remains unclear. Neither the State Security nor the Office for the Protection of the Constitution have any relevant information about him. Investigations are being carried out in all directions, including checking whether the man had had contact with the Neumarkt district office in the Upper Palatinate in the past. According to the weapons register, as a hunter and marksman he legally owned ten weapons.

On Thursday afternoon, during a routine check of a registered gun owner in Berngau, an employee and an employee of the district office were shot - presumably by the man they were supposed to check. The suspect was arrested.

The “Bild” newspaper reported that the shooter himself called the police. “I have a woman lying dead on the stairs,” he allegedly told officers, according to the report.

Consternation in the community

There is great consternation after the crime in the community with around 2,600 residents. “The concern is enormous,” said Mayor Thomas Meier to the German Press Agency. People showed a lot of compassion for the relatives. A local resident spoke of an “actually peaceful village” and reported being very speechless after the crime. At the local school, a crisis team supports students in processing the events.

Other residents also described uncertainty during the hours-long police operation. A driving school instructor who was in Berngau at the time of the crime spoke of a very disturbing act. "People are very depressed. You can tell. People are very shocked." He is “strictly against private gun ownership.”

What is known about the shooter

According to the mayor, the suspected shooter was hardly integrated into the town. To his knowledge, he was not active in any clubs or groups. He is also said not to have been a member of a local shooting club.

According to Herrmann, the man owned his weapons legally. At least 60,000 gun checks are carried out in Bavaria every year. There have been no comparable incidents during such checks in recent years. The processes will now be reviewed together with the district administration authorities. However, the findings so far provide no indication of what could be done differently in the future, said Herrmann.