Witnesses in the Kusel murder trial about gunfire: "Almost like a firework battery"

Created: 06/28/2022, 12:32 p.m

By: Sandra Kathe, Sophia Lother, Alina Schröder

A 39-year-old is said to have murdered a policewoman and her colleague in Kusel to cover up poaching.

New details keep coming to light in the process.

Update from Tuesday, June 28, 12:20 p.m .:

The deadly shots at the police near Kusel occurred five months ago.

Now the process has started.

Witnesses described a dramatic exchange of fire on the night of the crime.

A witness heard someone yell "stop" and also numerous shots.

"It was a series of shots.

Almost like a battery of fireworks, ”said the 47-year-old man and banged loudly four times in the courtroom with his right hand clenched on the table, as reported by the German Press Agency.

According to testimonies, a clear, hard last bang could be heard - "like a final shot in an animal," said a 65-year-old witness.

The investigators assume a firefight between the police commissioner and the main suspect.

The policeman is said to have shot his service pistol empty – without hitting the attacker.

According to the public prosecutor's office, the police officer had several serious injuries despite the protective vest.

The court wanted to hear more witnesses at noon.

The next day of the trial is then scheduled for Thursday.

After the deadly shots in Kusel, the trial has now begun.

(Archive photo) © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

After fatal shots at Kusel – witness describes crime: “Blood ran down the street”

+++ 12.15 p.m .:

 In the murder trial of two police officers who were shot near Kusel, the taking of evidence began with frightening descriptions.

Emergency services and paramedics, who arrived at the scene a few minutes after the crime at the end of January, were the first witnesses summoned to the Kaiserslautern district court on Monday.

"The blood ran down the street," said a 27-year-old colleague of the two police officers, clearly shocked.

The last radio message from the police commissioner who was shot was also recorded in the courtroom.

"They're shooting, they're shooting," the 29-year-old shouts in mortal fear before a shot can be heard, then silence.

Prosecutors have accused a 39-year-old man of shooting dead the police commissioner and a 24-year-old police officer during a vehicle inspection at the end of January to cover up poaching.

A total of 13 witnesses were invited on Monday, including the wife and mother-in-law of the alleged shooter.

They invoked their right to refuse to testify and did not testify.

The accomplice's fiancee also did not testify.

After deadly shots at the police near Kusel: witnesses testify in court

Update from Monday, June 27, 9:30 a.m .:

After the deadly shots at two police forces near Kusel, the process began.

The hearing of evidence starts at around 9 a.m. today, Monday.

According to the district court of Kaiserslautern, 13 witnesses are invited, including the wife and mother-in-law of the alleged shooter.

You have the right to refuse to testify.

The police officers and paramedics who were the first to arrive at the crime scene on the night of the crime should also testify.

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After deadly shots at Kusel: the main defendant accuses accomplices

Update from Tuesday, June 21, 12:30 p.m.:

Around 9:10 a.m., the main defendant Andreas S. appeared in the courtroom in Kaiserslautern on Tuesday morning, according to several media reports.

In the murder trial of fatal shots at two police officers, the accused 39-year-old blamed his alleged accomplice for the death of one of the victims.

His client heard shots during the incident at the end of January and was "perplexed," said the man's defense attorney on Tuesday in a statement at the start of the trial in the Kaiserslautern district court.

This is reported by the German Press Agency.

S. also shot, but "only to ensure that he was no longer shot at," said the defender, describing a kind of self-defense situation.

The 39-year-old saw muzzle flashes in the confusing night-time situation and fired in this direction.

After the incident at Kusel, he wanted to present himself to the authorities in Saarland, but he wanted to speak to his wife beforehand - so a special task force (SEK) preempted him and arrested him.

However, the 33-year-old accomplice's defense attorney dismissed the account as inaccurate and "predictable".

Kusel's act caused nationwide horror.

14 appointments are planned up to September 9, and many experts and witnesses have been invited.

After deadly shots in Kusel: trial against suspected poachers begins

First report from Tuesday, June 21:

Kaiserslautern – A little more than four months after the fatal shots at a 24-year-old police officer and her 29-year-old colleague, the trial against the alleged perpetrator and his accomplices began in the western Palatinate.

In addition to the question of motives and the exact course of events, the murder trial also deals with the criminal responsibility of the accused Andreas S., which psychiatric reports in the run-up to the trial have determined without reservation.

With the act of January 31, 2022, the 39-year-old is said to have tried to cover up his involvement in poaching, according to the indictment.

The accused and his accomplice were noticed by the two police forces on a patrol near Kusel in the Palatinate after they had seen their box van parked on the side of the road and the loading area "full of wild animals".

When trying to control the two, Andreas S. is said to have first shot the police officer "from a short distance in the head" with a shotgun and then murdered her colleague with a hunting rifle.

Murder of police patrol in Rhineland-Palatinate: charges of murder and poaching

When the accused noticed a short time later that the woman was still alive and had fallen into the street with serious injuries, according to the indictment, he is said to have fired a second shot from the shotgun and killed the 24-year-old.

He and his 33-year-old accomplice then fled the scene, but were arrested a few hours after the crime in nearby Saarland.

The victims have been commemorated at numerous commemorative events since the bloody deed.

Now the trial against the alleged perpetrator and his accomplices begins in Kaiserslautern.

(symbol photo) © Boris Roessler/dpa

The prosecutor accuses the accused of two murders, among other things, "out of greed and to cover up a crime".

The 33-year-old is accused, among other things, of attempting to avoid punishment because he helped to cover up the tracks.

In addition, both are accused of joint commercial poaching.

Killed police forces near Kusel: trial in Kaiserslautern with four appointments

The court hearing against the alleged perpetrators began on Tuesday (June 22) at 9 a.m.

The trial in Kaiserslautern has 14 appointments until September 9th, several experts and a large number of witnesses have been invited to clarify the crime, which has caused horror across the country.

(ska,slo,asc with dpa/AFP)