What initially looked like a normal traffic stop ended in a bloodbath. The two police officers Alexander K. * († 29) and Yasmin B. * († 24) stop the car in which Andreas S. * (38) and Florian V. * (32) are sitting. The two men had been hunting illegally and had animals they had killed in the trunk. The motive for the murder: to cover up poaching. The investigators are currently assuming this.
Two suspects arrested: Here the road is closed(00:53)
Andreas S. and Florian V. are now in custody. While the 38-year-old has been silent about the fact so far, his colleague is more confessed – at least in part.
He only admitted to poaching. He didn’t shoot. He was only the assistant, helping to hoist the dead game into a transporter.
“Gun residue can be washed off, but not just like that”
The investigators are therefore trying hard to clarify who really shot. Traces of smoke should prove this. Tiny residue left by firing a weapon. They can remain on the skin or clothing. The DNA of a weapon, so to speak.
That sounds like solid evidence. However, it is not that simple. Because the residues can also spread in the immediate vicinity. “Certainly traces of smoke can also be transferred secondarily,” says ex-criminal policeman Axel Petermann to “Bild”.
Such residues can theoretically also be found in someone who has not shot at all. However, there are differences in concentration and conclusions can be drawn as to who shot. Even if hours or days have already passed. Petermann: «Gun residue can be washed off, but not just like that. And there are usually still detectable traces on the clothing of the suspects.”
22 fallow deer spotted in the truck
Florian V. has already been examined for such traces of smoke. The result is not yet known. Another tool to solve the mystery are DNA traces found on the weapons and ammunition. These would also provide clues as to who pulled the trigger, the expert continued.
Much is still unclear in the case. Gradually, however, more and more is known about the past of the two men. Andreas S. is said to have raised a meat trade for years. There were 22 dead fallow deer in the van that the police wanted to check.
In the past, Andreas S. has repeatedly been targeted by the police, also because of poaching. He is said to have shot up to 500 animals annually, including wild boar, deer and deer. The German has neither a gun license nor a hunting license.
As the “Spiegel” reports, he is said to have earned a total of 40,000 euros with his illegal business between September 2021 and January 2022. He is said to have sold the goods in his bakery, which later went bankrupt. His assistant Florian V., who dragged the prey he killed, only received a small share of the income. According to his defense attorney, he is said to have received just ten euros per animal. (jmh)