Police shoot dead armed man, 27, at Tuttlingen town hall
Police in Tuttlingen, Baden-Württemberg, shot dead a 27-year-old man near the town hall at midday on Thursday, 8 October. According to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA), several people had reported a man with a pistol in his hand in the area of the town hall. When officers found him in the inner courtyard, he opened fire on them straight away, the LKA says. The officers returned fire and hit him. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he died at the scene. No officers were injured.
The man lived in Tuttlingen and was already known to the police. It is not yet clear whether his weapon was a live firearm or a blank-firing gun, how many shots were fired in total, or why he was at the town hall. Witnesses reported hearing several shots. Passers-by were not attacked. Images from the scene showed heavily armed officers at the entrance to the town hall.
As is standard whenever police use their firearms, the LKA has taken over the investigation together with the public prosecutor's office in Rottweil. Investigators are reconstructing the full sequence of events, questioning witnesses and looking into the man's motive. "He fired directly," an LKA spokeswoman said.
Police say there is no danger to the public. The area around the town hall was cordoned off and screened, and the town hall stayed closed for the rest of Thursday. If you live in Tuttlingen and had an appointment at the town hall, check with the city before going, and follow police instructions near the cordon. Anyone who saw what happened can help the investigation by contacting the police.