Police probing officer following shooting of 8 Jehovah Witnesses in Kingdom Hall

HAMBURG – The Hamburg police have opened an investigation into one of its officers for allegedly failing to advise and assist in connection with a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall that left eight dead, including the shooter, the police confirmed on Wednesday.

 Disciplinary proceedings against an unnamed officer were opened on Tuesday, following Hamburg Police Chief Ralf Martin Meyer’s decision in late March to order an investigation as to whether there had been misconduct by a person with weapons authority, the weekly newspaper Die Zeit reported on Tuesday.

“The officer has been relieved of his duties in the firearms department with immediate effect and will be transferred to a position yet to be agreed with the human resources department,” police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

According to Die Zeit, the officer is suspected of having negligently or deliberately failed to document and follow up on a tip-off that the gunman, Philipp F, was dangerous. In addition, the officer is said to have close ties to the sports shooting club in which the gunman had been active.

The police did not comment on this. Information available to date shows that a relative of the gunman had initially contacted the sports shooting club in January to say that the 35-year-old man was mentally ill and had become increasingly aggressive.

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The gunman had previously taken his shooting test at the club and later ordered the murder weapon, a semi-automatic pistol.

According to the newspaper report, investigators initially assumed that the sport shooting club only referred the relative to the weapons authority, and did not inform the police themselves.

However, interrogations have now revealed that there was apparently at least one contact between the club and the police.

On March 9, Philipp F. killed seven people and then himself after the meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses   at  a Kingdom Hall in Hamburg-Alsterdorf.

Following an anonymous tip-off a few weeks before the crime, the 35-year-old had been checked by the weapons authority.