Investigation underway Plittersdorf family tragedy shows need for support

Bonn · Following the family tragedy in Bonn-Plittersdorf in which three persons died, an autopsy of the father was completed, revealing he died from a culmination of injuries. The family will be remembered in a church service on Thursday in Rüngsdorf.

On the day after the family drama in Plittersdorf, with three persons dead, the Bonn public prosecutor’s office said the autopsy of the 40-year-old father had been completed. After killing his 39-year-old wife and three-year-old daughter, he then injured himself with serious stab wounds before being shot by police in a confrontation.

Karen Essig, a spokeswoman for the Bonn public prosecutor’s office, said that he had died from the sum of his wounds. She confirmed that he had self-inflicted “serious stab wounds” before police tried to detain him. After police gained entry to the apartment, “the man moved towards them with a knife in his hand”, according to the spokesperson, “and he did not stop even after police had ordered him to stand still.”

Police shot the man three times and investigators are now examining whether this was an emergency situation, causing the police to act in self-defense, according to Essig. A Cologne team has taken over the investigation for reasons of neutrality. The Bonn public prosecutor’s office also continues to investigate the case.

Bad Godesberg Catholic Priest Wolfgang Picken said about the incident, “As Catholics in Bad Godesberg and Plittersdorf, we have been very affected by this tragedy.” There will be a mass at 11 am in the Andreas Church in Rüngsdorf on Thursday, and all of the family members killed in the tragedy and their loved ones will be remembered. Picken commented, “"A family drama of this kind shows once again how important it is that we support our families. They are exposed to many kinds of stress." It is important to make use of offers of help "so that conflicts are not left unchecked, but rather resolved".

Orig. Text: Rita Klein, Ayla Jacob

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