The occupants of two cars collide at an intersection in Hanover. Suddenly there is shooting and a man dies. A 33-year-old is now on trial for manslaughter.
Hanover – The crime at the beginning of June shocked many people: At lunchtime, the occupants of two cars at a busy intersection in Hanover get into an argument.
Suddenly gunshots rang out in front of numerous witnesses. A 30 year old driver dies. Since Tuesday, the alleged shooter has had to answer for manslaughter and attempted manslaughter before the regional court of the state capital. The 33-year-old is accused of having shot the three-year-old man from his own car. The shot fatally injured the victim’s artery and lungs, said the prosecutor. The defendant also tried to kill a second man who got out of the other car.
The process started under increased security precautions because, according to the court, the families of those involved had already had disputes in the past. Several police vans were parked in front of the building. In the courtroom itself, however, most of the visitor seats remained empty.
The defendant entered the courtroom wearing a black hoodie, his short, curly hair looked unkempt. He answered questions from the presiding judge about his personal details in broken German. According to his own statement, he only has German citizenship. A court spokeswoman had previously announced that the man was Serb. In the dock, he looked composed and followed the process closely.
The 33-year-old did not want to comment on the accusation, but announced through his defense lawyer that he wanted to speak on the second day of the hearing. In the police interrogation, the alleged gunman had invoked self-defense. According to the prosecution, the passenger of the future victim got out at the traffic lights and hit the defendant’s car with a wooden slat to force him to get out.
The 33-year-old is said to have shot the attacker twice with a pistol. The man was able to take cover behind a delivery truck, was uninjured and fled. Subsequently, the defendant is said to have shot at the driver through the open driver’s window of the other car parked next to him and fatally injured him. After the fact, the alleged shooter fled the scene, but turned himself in to the police a few days later. He has been in custody since then.
The co-driver appears in the trial as a joint plaintiff, but was not personally present on the first day of the hearing. As the presiding judge explained, there had already been a dispute between the defendant and the co-plaintiff in 2020 in a parking lot in Langenhagen near Hanover. There were also disputes between other members of the defendant’s and the victim’s families. What it was about was not initially discussed. The trial will continue on December 17th. 14 days of negotiations are planned. The verdict could therefore be announced on March 22nd. dpa
