The following news report from Germany provides a slightly different twist on a story of violent cultural enrichment. The accused culture-enricher most certainly shot his victim to death with an illegally-obtained gun, but he was acquitted because his actions were equally clearly taken in self-defense.

Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from Bild:

Dead Man’s Mother Desperate After Verdict

Acquittal after fatal shooting at Westpark

The victim attacked Anas N. with a broken beer bottle

The court sees the act as self-defense

Dortmund — Weeping, the mother of the man who was shot (21) looks at the accused and says: “You are not ashamed. You’re even too cowardly to look me in the eye. But I have to live with you walking free, alive, while my only son has no future.”

An hour later on Monday, the court handed down the verdict: acquittal and €17,100 in compensation for the previously convicted Anas N. (21), who killed Eryk Klein (21) with a shot in the stomach at Dortmund’s Westpark.

“The findings in the main hearing have shown that the accused acted in self-defense,” said judge Thomas Kelm (61).

Review

On June 12, 2021, two groups quarreled — the reason remained unclear until the end. Anas N. hit a friend (21) of the victim, the situation escalated, someone sprayed pepper spray. Then Anas raced home on a rental scooter and got the gun, even bragging about it, according to witnesses, shouting, “I’ll get him!”

Suddenly Eryk Klein smashed a beer bottle on the floor and ran towards Anas with it. He (Anas) called “Ey” and fired from a few meters away. The projectile penetrated the victim’s abdominal wall, hit an artery, the stomach and a lumbar vertebra. Eryk bled to death at the scene of the crime.

Siegmund Benecken (79), who defended the shooter, said: “Everyone can understand the desperate mother. But bitter as that may be for her, it was self-defense, there’s no doubt about it.”

Chief Public Prosecutor Carsten Dombert (58) also asked for acquittal at the end of the trial. Judge Kelm: “A smashed bottle is a deadly weapon. It cannot be refuted that the accused wanted to ward off the attack.”

Co-plaintiff Gesine Ickert (43), on the other hand, had demanded nine years for manslaughter: “The accused should have fired a warning shot. He was more than 20 meters away when Eryk broke the neck off.”

Their client Aldona Klein no longer understands the world. The mother to Bild: “You can’t own the gun, but you can shoot someone with it. The shooter had a criminal record and was on probation. What is wrong with our legal system?”

In fact, the acquiring of the gun by Anas N. has repercussions. A new indictment is being prepared. A new trial could even result in a prison sentence. He said, “I’m very sorry about what happened.”

After the trial, patrol cars drove up to the court. It was feared that the victim’s friends would attack the acquitted Anas N. Prosecutor Dombert warned: “If something happens, you will get in trouble. This cannot be about revenge.”