The shooting of a twelve-year-old deaf girl by a police officer in Bochum last weekend has ignited a fierce debate regarding the permissible use of force by law enforcement, particularly when dealing with minors. While the incident prompted immediate public outcry and demands for accountability, a leading police law expert is defending the officer’s actions, raising broader questions about the escalation of force and the training protocols governing German police.
Professor Markus Thiel, a specialist in public law with a focus on police law at the German Police University in Münster, argues the shooting was justifiable under the principle of “self-defense”. Speaking to the news portal Watson, Thiel contended that officers, faced with an imminent threat, sometimes have no alternative but to resort to firearms at close range. He specifically addressed the circumstances surrounding the girl’s alleged approach towards officers wielding knives, suggesting the immediacy of the perceived danger justified the deadly response.
The professor’s comments have further complicated the narrative by raising concerns about the application of legal restrictions on the use of firearms against minors. Thiel posited that such legal constraints can be “circumvented” in situations where a child presents an immediate threat. He controversially suggested even a three-year-old wielding a knife could create a dangerous situation justifying lethal force. This perspective underscores the emphasis placed on individual assessments of threat levels by police officers, a factor frequently cited in the justification of controversial use-of-force incidents.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, involved a search for the missing girl, who had fled a youth facility. Police reported she approached officers with two knives, ultimately leading to the shooting. While authorities maintain the officer’s actions were necessary, the event has prompted critical examination of police training and the increasingly blurred lines between de-escalation tactics and the use of deadly force. Critics are questioning the potential for bias in threat assessments and whether alternative strategies, beyond immediately resorting to firearms, were adequately explored. Thiel acknowledged that while the Bochum shooting, in his view, was defensible, recognizing that other instances of firearm use have been clearly unlawful, highlighting the ongoing need for rigorous scrutiny of police actions.