Eritrean survives shooting in Germany, suspected shooter dies

Scene of the crime in Wächtersbach

23 July 2019; DW: A 26-year-old Eritrean was apparently shot from a car by a man who later died, German authorities have said, citing preliminary information. The police are looking into xenophobia as a possible motive.

A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the "apparently lifeless" body of the suspected shooter in a neighboring town. The man was taken to the local hospital and soon died.

Authorities did not say how the 56-year-old lost his life, but stressed that "the death of the suspected shooter was not caused by police forces." According to a report in Germany's Spiegel magazine, investigators assume that the man, who was a German national, killed himself.

The wounded Eritrean, however, underwent an operation and his condition seemed to be stable.

Frankfurt prosecutors said that a motive of xenophobia should be "taken into consideration." According to Spiegel, the authorities searched the apartment of the suspected shooter and found objects indicating he was a right-wing extremist.

German authorities were due to share more information about the case on Tuesday.