Man killed in police fire in Germany

A 51-year-old man has been fatally injured in Nuremberg by a shot fired from a police weapon, reported dpa.

According to the police headquarters of Middle Franconia, two patrol officers intervened when the man threatened his partner with a knife.

Neighbours had previously called the police because of an argument in a flat in the north-east of the city. When a policeman and a policewoman arrived at the flat, they could hear a woman calling for help. As no one answered the doorbell, the police officers reportedly kicked the door in.

Inside the flat, they encountered the 51-year-old owner, who ‘threatened his 41-year-old partner with a knife at close range’. The man did not put the knife down, even when asked to do so several times by the officers. The police officer then made use of his firearm.

The 51-year-old reportedly suffered extremely serious injuries and died at the scene. His partner and both police officers were unharmed. The police initially gave no details about the background to the dispute.

Several patrol cars and ambulances rushed to the flat after the incident on Saturday. Due to the use of a firearm by a police officer, the Bavarian State Office of Criminal Investigation was called in - as is usual in such cases. The police secured the evidence in the flat on Saturday and interviewed witnesses. The man's body was to be autopsied on Sunday.

Significantly more fatal police shootings in 2024 than in previous years

Police officers on duty have already fired significantly more fatal shots in 2024 than in previous years. According to an analysis of police reports by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 18 people have died in police shootings across Germany since January.

According to statistics published by the specialist magazine ‘Bürgerrechte & Polizei’, the last time such a high number of people were killed by the police was in 1999. Back then, 19 people died in the entire year. In 2023, there were therefore ten fatalities.

In the majority of cases, the fatal shots were fired in situations in which the officers encountered men or women who were in an exceptional mental situation or were already receiving treatment for mental illness. Several of the people who were shot during a police operation were carrying knives.