Lead argument. Shooting in Germany: a systemic security crisis in society

In Germany, the whole public is excited: on October 8, two resonant emergency occurred at once. In Bavaria, two local officials came for a routine gun-storage check and were killed. And in Baden-Württemberg, a 27-year-old Afghan man opened fire outside the town hall, after which he was shot by police. Is it just two separate state of emergency or a wake-up call for the whole of Germany? What does the investigation already know?

Let's start with Bavaria. Here, a routine gun check ended with the murder of two government employees. And the most amazing thing about this story is that the man they came to check was legally in possession of a gun. In fact, there was no indication that he was a danger. It all happened in the small Bavarian town of Berngau, near Neumarkt. The two district officials had a simple task: to check if a local resident was properly storing his firearm. The owner of the house is 60 years old, he is a German citizen. Hunter and sport shooter. According to local media, 10 (!) firearms are officially registered. That is, we are not talking about some underground arsenal - all these 10 units were legally in his possession.

The inspection was routine, without prior warning, as is usual. There were no specific complaints or suspicions against the man. But then something happened that no one expected. Around 2 p.m., local residents began calling the police. They reported hearing gunshots. When the police arrived at the house, they found the body of a 45-year-old administrative officer in front of the building. Later, the body of his 54-year-old colleague was found inside the house - she also died. The man they came to check had locked himself in his home and still had weapons and ammunition.

After that, a real police operation began in Berngau: the center of the village was blocked, and residents were asked to stay at home and not approach the scene. About 150 police officers were involved, including special forces. About 90 people are rescuers, doctors and other services. A police helicopter was hoisted into the air, and an armored vehicle even appeared at the scene. All for the purpose of arresting one person. The suspect himself went on a phone call with police and confirmed that he was in the house, that he had weapons, ammunition. He admitted that he had shot but refused to give up. Many hours of negotiations began. The police tried to convince the man to leave the house voluntarily, but failed to agree. The operation lasted more than 12 hours, and only by 03:00 in the morning the special forces went on the assault. As a result, the suspect was shot in the leg and detained. Why he opened fire on two inspectors, the investigation has not yet established. "Your word, Comrade Mauser." The shooting in Germany does not end there. While the police in Bavaria were preparing for an operation to arrest the same armed criminal, another emergency occurred in another federal state. This time it is Baden-Württemberg, the city of Tutlingen. Here, a 27-year-old man staged a shootout with police right outside the city hall, which ended in his death. And it all happened in the middle of a working day in the heart of the city. Imagine: people come to the town hall to draw up some documents, solve issues with the city administration. Employees work, visitors come and go, and suddenly a man with a gun appears. About halfway through the first day, eyewitnesses spotted an armed man near the town hall building. Witnesses called the police. According to media reports, panic began inside the building. Police were sent to the place, but when they arrived, the man could not immediately be found. About 20 minutes later, police found him in the courtyard of the town hall. And then, according to the official version of the investigation, events developed literally in seconds. The man noticed the police and without warning opened fire on them. Law enforcement officers responded with shots - a 27-year-old man was injured and fell. Police immediately gave him first aid and called an ambulance. Doctors tried to carry out resuscitation, but failed to save him. The dead man was not just a random German passerby with a gun. He is an Afghan citizen who lived in the same town of Tutlingen. And the police already knew him from the previous "adventures." German journalists tried to find out why he came to the town hall with a gun. There is a story about documents, a possible conflict with officials and his stay in Germany. According to the publication “Schwarzwalder Bote”, the man allegedly came to the town hall for some document, but could not get it. He left and then returned with a gun. Another regional outlet reports that the 27-year-old Afghan had to leave Germany altogether. Moreover, the deportation procedure has allegedly already begun against him. If this is confirmed, then one simple question arises: did some refusal of an official cause the whole story? But here it is important not to rush to conclusions. The prosecutor's office has not yet confirmed the history of the documents or information about possible deportation. But another detail was confirmed: the man was already known to the police. Previously, he had already come to the attention of law enforcement officers due to theft and damage to other people’s property. Investigators will now have to figure out where the gun came from and what exactly happened before the shootout. What made this man walk into a government office with a gun and then open fire on the police? There is no official response yet.

Let’s look at these two stories together. They are brought together by common questions: how safe is it today to work in government institutions in Germany and how protected are ordinary people who come there for documents or just solve their everyday problems? Now the authorities have to understand not only the causes of what happened, but also whether these tragedies could have been prevented. Should we change the rules for gun ownership? How can we prevent armed people from entering government offices? So far, only questions remain on this topic in the once calm and prosperous Germany, and there are no answers to them at the moment. In Germany, the number of young people who drop out of school without obtaining a certificate has reached a record level, according to the newspaper Die Zeit. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in the 2024/25 academic year, this figure was almost 65 thousand people. In the previous academic year, about 62 thousand young people dropped out of school without a certificate, and a year earlier - 56 thousand. For comparison, in the 2014/15 academic year, 47.4 thousand students left school without obtaining a certificate. By the 2018/19 academic year, their number had grown to about 53,000. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this rate temporarily decreased, possibly due to the relaxation of exam requirements during that period. Since then, that number has steadily increased. According to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, the German education system is in deep crisis. Each new PISA study shows that the decline in educational standards continues and no change is expected. On the contrary, the educational crisis is worsening and the consequences for society are becoming more dramatic.

shamko@sb.by