Police shoot in Vienna: 28-year-old after a knife attack in mortal danger

Police shoot in Vienna: 28-year-old after a knife attack in mortal danger

In the night of June 15, 2025, a dramatic incident occurred in Vienna-Brigittenau when the police were called for an emergency call for the parents of a 28-year-old Serbs. The relatives worried about the mental state of the man, who might have threatened to violate themselves. When the police officers approached with the specialized special use group Wega, the man did not respond to the address and approached them with a knife.

Despite multiple attempts to overwhelm the man with a taser, they remained in vain. In a situation that was considered threatening, an official gave a shot. The 28-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries and was cared for by the professional rescue Vienna and then brought to a hospital. His condition remains critical after an emergency operation, and it is also determined by a psychiatric history and possible drug use, as 5min.

increasing concern about police violence

Cases such as this throw questions about police work, especially when dealing with mentally polluted persons. Experts like the criminologist Tobias Singelnstein from the Goethe University in Frankfurt indicate that deaths are not individual cases after police missions. Examples from recent years illustrate this alarming trend, such as in Bremen and Hamburg, where people were killed in similar emergency situations.

Family members often call the police in the hope of help if there are no other options. However, dealing with the police in these situations is often shaped by the perspective of legal certainty, which means that the actual needs of mentally ill people are not always taken into account. Police training only treats operations with mentally ill people, which can lead to conflicts and often disproportionate use of violence, which taz.

The complexity of the use of violence

The use of violence by the police raises fundamental ethical and legal questions. According to the regulations in the police laws, coercive measures may only be taken if there are no milder alternatives available. The proportionality of the use of violence and the ensuring of human rights are central, as the [bpb] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/inne-sicherheit/dossier-inere-icherheit/321874/get--und- against-polizistinnen-und-polizen/) writes. Cases of attacks are often difficult to differentiate from lawful missions.

The internal enforcement of standards and the monitoring of the police are also up for debate. In Germany, statistics show that around 1,500 cases of assault were registered in office in 2019 alone. But only 2% of suspected cases end in an indictment. The notification against the police remains low, often due to fear of negative consequences or the conviction that an advertisement will not be successful.

In order to improve the situation, suggestions for the introduction of independent control bodies and a stronger error culture within the police are discussed. A better handling of mentally ill people and strengthening the social skills of the civil servants could make a decisive contribution to improving police work and increasing the security of everyone involved.

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OrtWien-Brigittenau, Österreich
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