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Defendant Andreas S. (right) with his defense attorney Leonard Kaiser (June 21, 2022): Disreputable among hunters
Photo: Uwe Anspach / dpa
In the murder trial in the case of two police officers who were killed near Kusel in Rhineland-Palatinate, a witness reported that he and other hunters quickly suspected the main suspect as the alleged perpetrator.
In front of the Kaiserslautern district court, the man reported that after the exchange with acquaintances, he had called the police around nine o'clock the morning after the January 31 crime and said that it could have been Andreas S.
In fact, they had previously heard about it from the news.
"We knew he was poaching," said the 36-year-old witness.
And many would have been afraid of him.
Because during a hunt in autumn 2021 he said in front of others: he would shoot his way free if someone stood in his way.
The witness said he had spread fear.
At the end of 2021, the hunters wanted to contact the police, but the officer responsible was ill.
Because the suspicion that the 39-year-old was poaching across Saarland to the neighboring Palatinate had previously been confirmed.
A friend had previously described the main suspect as a particularly good marksman.
"I don't know of a better shooter," said the 67-year-old from Homburg, who works in hunter training and has known S. for many years.
The accused was "extremely passionate about hunting" and was happy to overfulfil shooting plans.
»He just has a few more horsepower than other people.«
Andreas S. has been in court since June 21 as the main defendant: according to the indictment, he is said to have killed a 24-year-old police officer and a 29-year-old police commissioner with shots in the head during a nightly vehicle check at the end of January to cover up poaching.
The act of violence caused nationwide horror.
His alleged accomplice Florian V. has been charged with attempted evasion.
The 33-year-old is said to have helped cover up the tracks.
The two defendants had recently incriminated each other in the process.
bbr/dpa
