Two men were seriously injured in two police operations in North Rhine-Westphalia on Thursday. For a 59-year-old, who had been injured in the leg by police shots in Enger in East Westphalia, there was a life-threatening condition on Friday. The man had started a fire. The reason for his critical condition is the "severity of the burn injuries" he suffered, the police and public prosecutor in Bielefeld said.
In Essen, a 37-year-old police officer shot a burglar during an operation and seriously injured him. As the public prosecutor's office in Essen and the police in Bochum reported, the 31-year-old had broken into a residential building. That's where the policeman met the man. "He was holding an ax in his hand and approached the officer with it." The police officer fired several shots from his service weapon. "The 31-year-old was hit several times, but not critically injured."
The 31-year-old was taken to the hospital. There is an arrest warrant against him for burglary, but it has been suspended. The course of action in Essen and the "background of the shots fired" should be examined in detail. For reasons of neutrality, the Bochum police took over the investigation.
The man was wielding a knife
In the case of Enger in the Herford district, it was used late in the evening because the 59-year-old had set fire to parts of his semi-detached house. A police spokesman said the man was injured in the leg when he was shot. The injury was classified as non-life threatening. Because of the severe burn injuries, one saw life in danger in the hospital at night and transferred the 59-year-old to a special clinic.
According to investigators, the man had handled a knife during the operation in East Westphalia. In the "threat situation" "at least one police officer" shot. Details were not initially given. How many shots were fired also remained unknown the day after the incident. According to the police spokesman, the investigation also includes “possible previous mental illnesses” of the 59-year-old and a motive possibly in the “family environment”. Family members were in the home at the time of the incident and were unharmed.
The case of a 16-year-old refugee from Senegal caused a stir when police officers used firearms. He was shot by a police officer with a submachine gun on August 8 in Dortmund. The question is whether and how the youth approached the officers with a knife.
