“Without hesitation” killed: Because he did not want to wear a corona mask, a man in Idar-Oberstein shoots a 20-year-old petrol station employee.
Idar-Oberstein – It is a brutal crime that is shaking Rhineland-Palatinate. In Idar-Oberstein, the young employee at a gas station advised a customer to wear a mask and refused to buy. The man returned a little later and shot the 20-year-old student who worked at the gas station in the head with a pistol.
The 49-year-old perpetrator was so annoyed about the situation after being rejected when buying beer that he had pocketed a revolver at home and drove to the gas station again to provoke the 20-year-old seller, said Chief Public Prosecutor Kai Fuhrmann about the act.
Idar-Oberstein: Gas station assistant shot “without hesitation”
When the young student, who worked as a temporary worker at the gas station, again pointed out to him that he must wear a mask on his second visit, the 49-year-old shot the cashier “in the head from the front,” said Fuhrmann. The victim was dead immediately. The man carried out the act “without hesitation”. It was clear to him that he had killed the employee. An arrest warrant for murder was issued against the suspect at the Bad Kreuznach District Court. He was taken into custody on high suspicion of murder.
The alleged perpetrator confessed to the fact. As for the motive, he stated that the situation of the Corona * pandemic was a heavy burden on him. He felt pushed into a corner and “saw no other way out” than to set an example. The victim seemed to him “responsible for the overall situation, since it had enforced the rules,” said Fuhrmann. The alleged perpetrator testified that he rejects the corona measures.
According to the investigations so far, the 49-year-old had entered the sales room of the gas station without a mask at 8 p.m. on Saturday (September 18, 2021) and placed two six-packs of beer on the counter at the cash register. He later said he forgot the mask. The cashier pointed out the mask requirement to the man – whereupon the man left the room and threateningly raised his hand.
Idar-Oberstein: The suspect came back and provocatively took off his corona mask
At about 9.25 p.m. he appeared again at the gas station – this time he wore a mask, took another six-pack of beer and went to the cash register. “There he took off the mouth and nose cover,” said Fuhrmann. The cashier had again advised the man to comply with the mask requirement: The 49-year-old then pulled a revolver out of his trouser pocket and shot the 20-year-old employee.
The perpetrator then fled on foot. A large manhunt in the night initially brought no results, it said. Since there were recordings from the surveillance cameras, the police were able to quickly publish a photo of the man and initiate a public manhunt. Due to the danger posed by the gunman, the police had warned against taking hitchhikers in the Idar-Oberstein area.
On Sunday morning (September 19, 2021), the suspect then appeared in front of the Idar-Oberstein police station, accompanied by a woman, where he was arrested by special forces. “We assume that he wanted to surrender,” said Trier’s police chief Friedel Durben. “This is definitely a special case: We did not have such an act in either the Trier police headquarters or in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate that suggests a connection to Corona.”
Killing at a gas station: “A very unbelievable, terrible act that happened here in Idar-Oberstein”
“That is a very unbelievable, terrible act that happened here in Idar-Oberstein,” said Mayor Frank Frühauf (CDU). This can also be seen in the great concern of the local people. Many would have laid flowers and wreaths at the gas station. “You can’t compare such an act with anything. It will take a while to process that, ”he said.
For a year and a half, many colleagues who deal with the topic have been warning of a radicalized corona movement. I was hoping to never have to write this thread. My condolences go out to the relatives and friends of the victim.
– julius geiler (@glr_berlin) September 20, 2021
According to the information, the suspect comes from Idar-Oberstein – as does his victim. He has not yet appeared with the police. During the search of his apartment, the investigators found the murder weapon as well as other firearms and ammunition. According to the police, the origin of the weapons still has to be clarified.
Information as to whether the suspect was active in the milieu of corona skeptics and conspiracy believers * was initially not available. The journalist and scene expert Julius Geiler wrote on the short message service Twitter: “For a year and a half, many colleagues who deal with the topic have been warning of a radicalized corona movement.” (Tvd / dpa / AFP) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
