Police under pressure: Record number of fatal shots shocked Germany!

The number of fatal shots by police officers in Germany reached an alarming level in 2024. According to an evaluation of the German Press Agency, 22 people died nationwide from the police's use of firearms, which is the highest number in the past 25 years, such as PZ News reported.

A significant incident took place on the New Year's afternoon in Grünsfeld (Main-Tauber-Kreis) when a 38-year-old took over an excavator and injured several police officers during a one-hour chase. The discussion ended fatally when the man was shot by the police. The majority of the fatal shots fell in situations with people who were in psychological exceptional situations or were already being treated for mental illnesses.

comparison with the past and other incidents

The statistics show a significant increase in fatal shots compared to previous years. In 2023 there were ten dead, 11 dead in 2022 and eight in 2021. The figures from 1999, when 19 people were killed by police violence, are the last that are comparable to the current values. There are also reports of several incidents in which the victims have approached the police with knives or other weapons.

A remarkable case affects a 31-year-old who was shot in a Munich supermarket after starting the official with a knife. Like Stern she was previously mentally ill and had several criminal records due to narcotics. Another fatal incident occurred in Schwalmstadt, where a 20-year-old died after giving a weapon on the police officers.

Also worth mentioning is the case of a particularly violent discussion in Mannheim, in which a police officer shot a 31-year-old when he approached him with a machete. The public prosecutor hired the proceedings against the official. The increased number of operations with a fatal outcome led to demands for better identification options for mental illnesses in police operations.