Calls for consequences after fatal police shootings of a 21-year-old German in Oldenburg. “Lorenz A. is not the first person to suffer such a fate” said Lamya Kaddor, a Green Party politician, to the “Tagesspiegel.” In the early hours of Easter Sunday, the 21-year-old was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer, having previously attacked several people with tear gas in front of a nightclub. Thousands of people have recently taken to the streets in Germany to demand an independent investigation of the case. “Initial indications raise doubts about the proportionality and legality of police actions” said Kaddor. Therefore, it is fundamentally correct that the police from the neighboring district have taken over the investigation. “It would still be desirable to have an independent authority alongside the prosecution to participate in the investigation” Kaddor demanded and advocated for independent police prosecutors. “With its own investigative powers and access rights, this could independently examine and assess the work of the police and thus present its own image to the public” said Kaddor. From the Left Party, too, consequences were demanded. If police officers investigate their colleagues, there will inevitably be a conflict of interest, even if the investigation is formally handed over to another department” said Innenexpertin Clara Bünger to the “Tagesspiegel.” The police know each other. “That’s why there needs to be an independent investigation authority with extensive powers. Only then can trust be created that in cases of deadly police violence, the truth will be uncovered in a transparent, comprehensive and in the interest of the affected persons and that there will be consequences.” CDU politician Alexander Throm rejects such a reform. “I have no doubts that the investigation will be carried out professionally and impartially” he said to the “Tagesspiegel” and added: “We should all expect the same impartiality from the police and the prosecution.” Similarly, the chairman of the German Police Association (GdP), Jochen Kopelke, said: “No explicit independent investigative institution is needed next to the police.” The investigation of crimes is the main task of the independent prosecution authorities, the police are only their investigative personnel: “German police work and investigative work are not comparable to that in Great Britain and therefore these independent independent institutions are also not effective.
Calls for Independent Investigation into Fatal Police Shootings in Oldenburg
