Police said on Sunday that the argument began at around 7.55pm on Saturday evening on Ließemer Weg in Heiderhof. According to initial inquiries, the fight was about the sale of a small amount of cannabis. During the argument, the 16-year-old allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the upper body of his opponent.

The 18-year-old was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police would not say on Sunday who rang for the ambulance or whether there were any witnesses. The 16-year-old fled the scene but was arrested in Burgstraße in Bad Godesberg after an immediate search was begun. A murder squad from the Bonn police began investigations that evening.

The crime scene in Heiderhof was closed while evidence was gathered. When the weather is good, Ließemer Weg, which connects Marienforster Tal with Heiderhof, is heavily used by hikers and walkers during the day. On Sunday afternoon there was no indication there had been a stabbing there. There was only one patrol car in the area. By night, the remote spot on a gravel path is clearly not a place one runs into someone by chance. It is several hundred metres from the nearby residential street.

Police said the 18-year-old succumbed to his serious injuries on Sunday afternoon. Treatment in intensive care could not save his life. The suspect was brought before a magistrate on Sunday afternoon after intensive investigations by the murder squad and public prosecutor’s office. The magistrate issued a warrant for manslaughter. During questioning, the 16-year-old admitted to stabbing the 18-year-old. Investigations into what happened are continuing.

After the fatal attack on 17-year-old Niklas P. in May, youth crime in Bad Godesberg is a particularly sensitive and high profile issue. Police and the public prosecutor’s office did not want to give any further information on the case on Sunday.

(Orig. text: Johanna Heinz and Bettina Köhl; translated by Kate Carey)