Berlin – Civil rights activists are calling for an independent examination after the police were fatally shot by the police in front of a nightclub in northwestern Germany last week. The killing triggered nationwide protests and expressed concerns about what some believe that systemic racism is within the German law enforcement authorities.
The victim identified as 21-year-old Lorenz A. was shot from behind by a 27-year-old police officer in the city of Oldenburg. According to the prosecutors, an autopsy found that Lorenz A. was hit in the back of the head, in the head, in the torso and in the hip. A fourth ball reported his thigh. He died in a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
According to the authorities, Lorenz A. Nachtclub stripper with pepper spray and a knife had threatened after the entry was denied. When they were confronted by the police, they said that he had “threatened” pepper spray again.
By Monday, however, the prosecutors said that preliminary evidence such as surveillance camera video and witness reports gave no indication that Lorenz A. had threatened officials with a knife at the time of his shot.
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The body cameras of the officials concerned were eliminated, the police said. In Germany there is no legal obligation to switch on your body cameras during the operations. It is at your discretion.
The shootout triggered trouble all over Germany. On Friday, more than 10,000 demonstrators gathered in a “justice for Lorenz” in Oldenburg. Mind guards were also planned in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and in Vienna in neighboring Austria.
Right groups, including Amnesty International and the Blacks in the Deutschland initiative (ISD), have requested an independent investigation and argue that internal police investigations are inherently biased.
“This killing not only affects Lorenz ‘family, but all people affected by racism in Germany”, Amnesty International said in an explanation.
The campaign groups also urge police officers to be forced to switch on their body cameras with weapons during the operations.
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The incident reflects cases of police violence in the United States, where the 2020 Murder of George Floyd From an officer in Minnesota, the protests against what many consider to be systemic racism in law enforcement agencies and police brutality.
Just like American activists have pushed for independent supervision and systemic reformGerman groups are now calling for the establishment of a national office to investigate allegations of the police misconduct.
The case also drawn comparisons with the death of Oury Jalloh, an asylum seeker from Sierra Leone, who died in a German police in 2005 under suspicious circumstances after being set on fire during the handcuffs. This case has remained a symbol of alleged institutional racism and impunity within the German police forces for two decades.
Despite the relatively low rates of the German shootouts (which was more than 10 per year), the number has risen sharply, with 22 deaths risen sharply recorded last year alone.
A 2024 Study found Almost a third of the German police officers reported that they illuminate and emphasized racist comments from colleagues, which many consider many as a broader cultural problem.
