Man confesses to fatal shooting in mask row at German petrol station

A man has confessed to shooting dead a young petrol station worker in a row over Covid-19 mask rules in western Germany, reported dpa.

"I regret it deeply," the 50-year-old defendant said in a statement, which was read out by his lawyer at a murder trial in the regional court of Bad Kreuznach.

According to the indictment, the man shot the 20-year-old employee with a revolver in the town of Idar-Oberstein in September. The young man had repeatedly told the customer to put on a mask as was required under coronavirus rules.

The accused said he understood the severity of the crime and asked the victim's relatives for forgiveness. The young man's mother is a co-plaintiff in the trial.

The defendant told the court via his lawyer that he had drunk too much alcohol on the evening of the crime "and the fuse blew."

He had already consumed seven or eight half-litre cans of beer and had wanted to stock up on more at the petrol station. The man said he felt provoked by the young worker, who told him to wear a mask and refused to sell him the beer.

He left without the alcohol but got three or four more half-litre cans of beer at another petrol station and drank them at home.

While doing so, he became more and more upset about the behaviour of the petrol station employee, according to the man's statement. He then took a loaded revolver out of his bedside table and drove back to the petrol station with the intent of confronting the employee and shooting him.