Emsdetten school shooting | |
---|---|
Location | Emsdetten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
Coordinates | 52°09′57″N7°31′49″E / 52.1658°N 7.5302°E |
Date | 20 November 2006 c. 9:20 a.m.–10:36 a.m. (UTC+1) |
Target | Geschwister Scholl-Schule |
Attack type | School shooting |
Weapons |
|
Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
Injured | 37 (8 by gunfire, 1 by smoke grenade, and 28 by indirect smoke inhalation) |
Perpetrator | Sebastian Bosse [1] |
Motive |
|
The Emsdetten school shooting was a school shooting that occurred at the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule in Emsdetten, Germany on 20 November 2006 when 18-year-old former student Sebastian Bosse shot and wounded 8 people and set off several smoke bombs before committing suicide.
Even though there were no fatalities besides that of the gunman, the shooting was at one point considered to be the worst school shooting in the history of Germany since the Erfurt massacre, in which 17 people, including the perpetrator, were killed. This position is now held by the 2009 Winnenden school shooting, which left 16 people dead, including the perpetrator.
On 20 November 2006, at approximately 9:20 a.m. local time, Bosse drove to the Geschwister Scholl-Schule and strode into the schoolyard with his weapons, wearing a long black trench coat and a black gas mask. [2] On the way, he started firing randomly and wounded the school janitor, who was seriously injured by a shot in the stomach. A female teacher who was following the janitor was also injured when Bosse threw a smoke bomb, which hit her in the face. Around ten minutes after the shooting started, police were informed of the incident.
Bosse entered the school building, firing several more shots and wounding seven students. He also lit several smoke bombs, filling the building up with smoke. At 9:34 a.m., police arrived, but found entry into the school extremely difficult. At 9:58 a.m., a special task force finally breached the school and searched the building, discovering the body of Bosse on the second floor at 10:36 a.m., 38 minutes after entry. Bosse had shot himself in the mouth, although it was initially unclear if he had shot himself or was killed by the detonation of an explosive device that was attached to his body. Explosive experts had to be brought in to defuse the explosives found strapped to his body, as well as additional explosives found around the school. [3]
Bosse was the only fatality in the shooting, while a total of 37 people were injured. Seven students and the school janitor all suffered gunshot wounds, which were aimed towards the chest, stomach, arm, knee, and hand. A pregnant female teacher [2] also suffered facial injuries when she was hit by a thrown smoke bomb. In addition, 28 police officers had to be treated for respiratory problems due to smoke inhalation, while others students suffered from shock. [3]
During the attack, Bosse was armed with a Burgo .22 caliber bolt-action air rifle, an Ardesa percussion rifle, a pistol, and an Ardesa "Patriot" caplock pistol. [4] [2] The barrels and stocks of the two rifles were sawed off. In addition, three smoke bombs and a knife were found on Bosse's body, ten additional smoke bombs and an incendiary bomb in his backpack, and four pipe bombs planted around the school. [2] [3] A search in his car recovered four more smoke bombs, three incendiary bombs, and a machete. A search in his parents' house recovered a gas gun, an airsoft weapon, an air rifle, and various chemicals.
Bosse purchased the percussion rifle from an online weapons dealer. [5] The dealer confirmed that Bosse had participated in three online auctions during the two months prior to the attack; all three auctions sold weapons. However, the auctions only sold weapons to people aged over 18 years. Attorney Wolfgang Schweer confirmed to the WDR that no investigation was launched against the auctions. [6] The bolt-action rifle that Bosse was armed with during the attack had been purchased by him from a 24-year-old male relative in exchange for an airsoft gun; the man was not aware of Bosse's true intent.
Sebastian Bosse [2] (29 April 1988 – 20 November 2006) had graduated from the Geschwister Scholl-Schule in 2006. He was generally known by others as "Bastian". [2] According to the public prosecutor's office, the motive for the attack was "general life frustration". [7] While attending the school, he had social problems with classmates and was forced to repeat two classes. [8] He was also known by others to listen to death metal music, wearing all-black or camouflage clothing and having an affinity for firearms. He reportedly went on hunting trips with his father, a postman. [2]
It was stated from his diary, police investigations and statements from his classmates that he was bullied. An investigation later found a suicide note written by him, which stated that he wanted to "be happy ever again" and that he couldn't stand everyday restrictions on his freedom. The note said:
Ich habe in den 18 Jahren meines Lebens erfahren müssen, das man nur Glücklich werden kann, wenn man sich der Masse fügt, der Gesellschaft anpasst. Aber das konnte und wollte ich nicht. Ich bin frei! Niemand darf in mein Leben eingreifen, und tut er es doch hat er die Konsequenzen zu tragen! Kein Politiker hat das Recht Gesetze zu erlassen, die mir Dinge verbieten. Kein Bulle hat das Recht mir meine Waffe wegzunehmen, schon gar nicht während er seine am Gürtel trägt.
I have had to learn in the 18 years of my life, that one can only be happy when you blend in and adapt to society. But I couldn't and I did not want to. I am free! No person shall engage in my life and if he does, he has to face the consequences! No politician has the right to make laws that prohibit me things. No cop has the right to take away my gun and certainly not while he's wearing one at his belt.
It also said:
Ich hasse euch und eure Art! Ihr müsst alle sterben! Seit meinem 6. Lebensjahr wurde ich von euch allen verarscht! Nun müsst ihr dafür bezahlen! [...] Als letztes möchte ich den Menschen die mir was bedeuten, oder die jemals gut zu mir waren, danken, und mich für all dies Entschuldigen! Ich bin weg...
I hate you and the way you are! You all have to die! Since I was 6, you've all been taking the piss out of me! Now you're going to pay! [...] Finally, I want to apologise for all this to the people who mean something to me or who were ever good to me! I'm gone ... [1]
Two-and-a-half years prior to the attack, Bosse had announced his intents on an Internet forum and asked for psychological help. [9] He also posted pictures and videos from a site called Airsoftspielen, as well as bomb-making videos on a personal website. [10] Additional photos on the website showed Bosse with a variety of weapons, including a submachine gun, in public. On Sunday evening before the attack, Bosse posted four videos on his website, in which he and another person operated with weapons and explosives. [8] [3] The site was closed immediately after the attack by the North Rhine-Westphalia police, but its contents were copied in response to the closing and was placed on a number of other websites. Bosse had planned the attack extensively, according to contents of his diary. [11]
The Rheine district court revealed that Bosse had gone into an open-air event with a gas gun in his possession. He had been drinking alcoholic beverages at the time. Police were alerted to the incident and seized his gas gun. Although Bosse had an insufficient gun license, this didn't bar him from holding such weapons at public events. [12] It was also reported that he was due in court prior to the shooting, on charges of illegal possession of a Walther P38 pistol. [2]
Shortly before the attack, Bosse had left an Internet posting and a video message from his parents' living room. He had stated that he hated people and was taught to be a "loser" at his school. [13] [14] He also left a suicide note on his website, which has since been deleted. [15]
The event caused renewed demands for a prohibition of violent video games (called Killerspiele, "killing games" by German media and politicians) in Germany, [16] since police determined that Bosse "spent most of his waking hours" [17] playing Counter-Strike . [18]
Starting in mid-2008, computer games were released with a much larger USK rating label, complying with a change made to Article 12 of the JuSchG. The labels themselves were subsequently re-designed in 2009 following heavy criticism from customers.
The Erfurt massacre was a school shooting that occurred on 26 April 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium, a secondary school in Erfurt, Germany. 19-year-old expelled student Robert Steinhäuser shot and killed 16 people, including 13 staff members, two students, and one policeman before committing suicide. One person was also wounded by a bullet fragment. According to students, he ignored them and aimed only for the teachers and administrators, although two students were unintentionally killed by shots fired through a locked door.
A nail bomb is an anti-personnel explosive device containing nails to increase its effectiveness at harming victims. The nails act as shrapnel, leading almost certainly to more injury in inhabited areas than the explosives alone would. A nail bomb is also a type of flechette weapon. Such weapons use bits of shrapnel to create a larger radius of destruction.
A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is an armed confrontation entailing firearms between armed parties using guns, always entailing intense disagreement(s) between the fighting parties. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to describe combat situations primarily using firearms.
Emsdetten is a town in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The Cologne school massacre was a mass murder that occurred at the Catholic elementary school located in the suburb of Volkhoven in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany, on 11 June 1964. The perpetrator, Walter Seifert, also known as "Der Feuerteufel von Volkhoven", attacked the people at the school with a home-made flamethrower and a spear, killing eight pupils and two teachers, and wounding twenty-two others. When police arrived at the scene, Seifert fled from the school compound and poisoned himself. He was taken to a hospital, where he died the same evening.
The Zug massacre took place on 27 September 2001 in the city of Zug in the canton's parliament. Friedrich Leibacher shot dead 14 people before killing himself. Leibacher was armed with a civilian version of a Stgw 90, a SIG Sauer pistol, a pump-action shotgun, and a revolver, and wore a homemade police vest.
The Winnenden school shooting occurred on the morning of 11 March 2009 at the Albertville-Realschule, a secondary school in Winnenden, southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen. The shooting spree resulted in 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator, 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer, who had graduated from the school a year earlier. Nine people were injured during the incident.
The Eppstein school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on 3 June 1983 at the Freiherr-vom-Stein Gesamtschule in Eppstein-Vockenhausen, West Germany. The gunman, 34-year-old Karel Charva, fatally shot three students, a teacher and a police officer and injured another 14 people using two semi-automatic pistols, before committing suicide.
The Ansbach school attack occurred on 17 September 2009 at the Gymnasium Carolinum, a secondary school in Ansbach, a town of some 40,000 inhabitants in Bavaria, Germany. The attacker was armed with Molotov cocktails and an axe. Fifteen people were injured in the attack, two of them severely. The attacker was also injured. Police arrived on the scene shortly after the attack began, shot the attacker, and took him into custody.
The availability of bomb-making instruction on the Internet has been a cause célèbre amongst lawmakers and politicians anxious to curb the Internet frontier by censoring certain types of information deemed "dangerous" which is available online. "Simple" examples of explosives created from cheap, readily available ingredients are given.
The Euskirchen court shooting was an act of mass murder that occurred at the district court in Euskirchen, Germany on 9 March 1994. Just after his appeal against a sentence for assaulting his former girlfriend, Vera Lamesic, had ended with an upholding of his conviction, 39-year-old Erwin Mikolajczyk re-entered the court building armed with .45-caliber Colt pistol and a homemade bomb in a backpack. In the hallway, he approached Lamesic, hugged her, then fatally shot her, two women who had accompanied her, as well as two other people, and then entered the court room where he killed 33-year-old Alexander Schäfer, the judge who had convicted him. When he ran out of ammunition, Mikolajczyk killed himself by detonating the bomb. A total of eight people were also wounded in the attack.
Martin Peyerl was a German mass murderer who, on 1 November 1999, fired from his bedroom window, killing four people and wounding seven others before committing suicide.
The National Socialist Underground, or NSU, was a German neo-Nazi militant organization active between 2001 and 2010, and uncovered in November 2011. Regarded as a terror cell, the NSU is mostly associated with Uwe Mundlos, Uwe Böhnhardt and Beate Zschäpe, who lived together under false identities. Between 100 and 150 further associates were identified who supported the core trio in their decade-long underground life and provided them with money, false identities and weapons. Unlike other terror groups, the NSU had not claimed responsibility for their actions. The group's existence was discovered only after the deaths of Böhnhardt and Mundlos, and the subsequent arrest of Zschäpe.
On July 7, 2016, Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed and shot police officers in Dallas, Texas, killing five, injuring nine others, and wounding two civilians. Johnson, a 25-year-old Army Reserve Afghan War veteran, was angry over white police shootings of black men. He shot the officers at the end of a protest against the recent killings by police of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
On 22 July 2016, a mass shooting occurred in the vicinity of the Olympia shopping mall in the Moosach district of Munich, Germany. An 18-year-old Iranian-German, David Sonboly, opened fire on fellow teenagers at a McDonald's restaurant before shooting at bystanders in the street outside and then in the mall itself. Nine people were killed, and 36 others were injured, four of them by gunfire. Sonboly then hid nearby for more than two hours, and killed himself by a self-inflicted gunshot wound when confronted by police.
On 19 June 2017, a car loaded with guns and explosives was rammed into a convoy of Gendarmerie vehicles on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The driver, identified as Djaziri Adam Lotfi was killed as a detonation clouded the car in orange smoke. The attacker had been on terrorism watchlists for Islamic extremism since 2014, and pledged his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before the attack. In a letter to his family he stated that for years he had supported "the Mujahedeen who fight to save Islam and the Muslims," having practiced shooting "to prepare for jihad," and stated that the attack should be treated as a "martyrdom operation."
The Halle synagogue shooting occurred on 9 October 2019 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and continued in nearby Landsberg. After unsuccessfully trying to enter the synagogue in Halle during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the attacker, 27-year-old Stephan Balliet, fatally shot two people nearby and later injured two others. Federal investigators called the attack far-right and antisemitic terrorism.
The 2020 Vienna attack was a series of shootings that occurred on 2 November 2020 in Vienna, Austria. A few hours before the city was to enter a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lone gunman started shooting in the busy city centre. Four civilians were killed in the attack and 23 others were injured, seven critically, including a police officer. The attacker was killed by police and was later identified as an ISIL sympathizer. Officials said that the attack was an incident of Islamist terrorism.
The Heidelberg University shooting occurred on 24 January 2022, when an 18-year-old male student, Nikolai G., opened fire on a crowd during an ongoing lecture in Heidelberg University in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, killing one student and injuring three others. The shooter then fled the scene and later committed suicide by shooting himself.