Alleged cop killer was not allowed to own weapons

Created: 2022-02-07Updated: 2022-02-07 17:08

A wreath, flowers and candles lie at the crime scene on Kreisstraße 22 near Ulmet (Rhineland-Palatinate).

© Harald Tittel/dpa

The killing of two police officers in Rhineland-Palatinate caused horror across the country.

Now further investigation details about the perpetrators are known.

Saarbrücken/Kusel - The 38-year-old suspect in the case of the dead police officer did not have a license to own weapons at the time of the crime.

He also did not have a hunting license, the public prosecutor's office in Kaiserslautern said on Monday, citing the responsible authority.

The man and a 32-year-old suspected accomplice are in custody on suspicion of joint murder and poaching.

A week ago, a 24-year-old police officer and a 29-year-old chief inspector were shot dead during a traffic check near Kusel in the Palatinate.

The investigators suspect that the alleged perpetrators wanted to cover up poaching.

The trunk of her car was full of dead wild animals.

The two perpetrators were arrested on the same day.

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According to the investigators' findings so far, the man lived in a house in Spiesen-Elversberg in Saarland, but not alone.

After the crime, investigators found five handguns, a bolt-action rifle, ten other long guns, a crossbow, a silencer and ammunition.

The 38-year-old, who used to have a hunting license, recently ran a game meat trade.

He had been publicly searched for several hours because he had an ID card at the crime scene.

The public prosecutor's office also said that on the day of the crime, a witness had reported who towed the alleged perpetrators' car, which was no longer drivable, just a few kilometers from the crime scene.

"This car is secured.

He was found to have bullet holes, which are being examined more closely.” The 29-year-old police officer had returned fire before he was fatally hit himself.

dpa