Police shooting in Oldenburg: Greens & Left demand external authority

Oldenburg. Following the death of a young Black man in Oldenburg by police gunfire, politicians from the Left Party and the Green Party have called for consequences. "Initial indications raise doubts about the proportionality and legality of police actions," Green Party interior policy expert Lamya Kaddor told the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper. Therefore, it is fundamentally correct that the police from the neighboring district have taken over the investigation, the Bundestag member said.

"It would nevertheless be desirable to at least entrust an independent authority alongside the public prosecutor's office with the investigation," Kaddor said. Left Party member of the Bundestag Clara Bünger advocated for "a truly independent investigative authority with comprehensive powers." Opposition came from the CDU and the German Police Union (GdP).

A police officer fired five shots at 21-year-old Lorenz on the night of Easter Sunday. According to the autopsy, he sustained injuries to the hip, upper body, and head. Three shots hit him from behind, and a fourth shot allegedly grazed his thigh. The 27-year-old police officer has been provisionally suspended from duty. He is being investigated for manslaughter—the standard procedure in such cases.

"I have no doubt that the investigations here are being conducted professionally and impartially," CDU interior politician Alexander Throm told the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper. Jochen Kopelke, the GdP's federal chairman, also believes there is "no need for an explicit, independent investigative institution alongside the police." Police and public prosecutors are taking "sufficient precautions to prevent conflicts of interest, bias, or a lack of transparency," Kopelke said.

RND/dpa