Cruel crime in Gelsenkirchen.
A young man (19 years old) died on Friday evening after a fight with eight other people in the district of Buer.
Three suspects have now been arrested. They are being held in custody. The 28, 32 and 33 year old men are accused of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in combination with attempted manslaughter, as the Essen public prosecutor’s office and the Gelsenkirchen police announced on Sunday evening. All three suspects were born in Afghanistan; two live in Gelsenkirchen, one is registered in Munich.
According to investigators, a knife was also a weapon used in the fight in the car park of a discount store late on Friday evening. The 19-year-old Afghan national with a residence permit in Germany had left the scene of the crime with serious injuries, collapsed and died. The background of the attack is still unclear.
A 19-year-old man from Cologne, who was involved in the quarrel and was seriously injured, is in critical condition. A 22-year-old man from Essen, who initially fled the crime scene after the altercation, has been identified in the meantime. He is also in hospital with serious injuries.
“The goal of the difficult investigation is now to determine the background and causes of the quarrel and to find other persons involved in the altercation,” it is further stated.
When police officers arrived at the discounter’s car park at 10.08 p.m., six people had fled, according to witnesses.
The police cordoned off the scene of the crime, secured evidence and set up a homicide squad. Those involved in the quarrel were questioned. A police spokesperson said on Saturday that there were no concrete indications of xenophobia.