In Luxembourg: The policeman who killed a motorist in Bonnevoie tried
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In LuxembourgThe policeman who killed a motorist in Bonnevoie tried
LUXEMBOURG – On April 11, 2018, a motorist was shot in the head in Bonnevoie by a police officer. The trial of the agent, who invoked self-defense, began on Tuesday.
The facts date back to April 11, 2018 and take place in the heart of Bonnevoie. It was around 4 p.m. when people seated on the terrace saw a car registered in Luxembourg tumble down rue des Ardennes and then hit a tree head-on on Place Léon XIII. Shots then hold, the witnesses speak of three detonations. The motorist, who was apparently heading for the police, was killed by an agent with a bullet to the head.
Then began a long investigation. In the days following the death, we learned that the victim was a 51-year-old Dutch citizen. Residing in Germany, he was known to the authorities for several traffic offenses in Luxembourg. He was also not allowed to drive at the time. Witnesses tell The essential a scene during which the man was trying to flee a police check. We then speak of self-defense and the General Police Inspectorate is in charge of the investigation.
Was the shooting the only possible reaction?
According to the elements collected since the tragedy, we know that the policeman, then 22 years old, had signaled to the driver to stop his car. And that he pretended to comply and then backed up before rushing towards the policeman, as shown by the tire tracks on the ground. Experts said on the stand Tuesday morning that the car was speeding towards the police vehicle. What corroborate the thesis of self-defense. But were the gunshots the only possible reaction? This is what the trial of the now former police officer, which opened on Tuesday, must determine.
He was tried for three weeks for “voluntary homicide”. The accused said at the opening of the hearing that he had fired “out of necessity”, but without the intention of killing. One of the four experts involved in the investigation believes that the agent was not in self-defense at the time of the events.
As a reminder, Luxembourg law provides that the police officer can only use his weapon “as a last resort” or in a case of “absolute necessity”. The policeman who had shot dead a suspect who threatened him with a knife in Ettelbruck on July 31, 2021 improved from a dismissal in January 2022 and will therefore not be prosecuted.
(jw)