Erfurt massacre
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The Erfurt massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 26, 2002 at the Johann Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany. 16 people were killed before the perpetrator committed suicide. Most of the victims were teachers.
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[edit] Perpetrator and firearms
The perpetrator was Robert Steinhäuser, who had been expelled a few months prior to the shootings for missing lessons and forging excuse notes. Steinhäuser had covered up his expulsion from his family and would leave home everyday with his parents under the impression he was going to school. In the shooting he used a 9mm Glock 17 and had a pump-action shotgun strapped onto his back, but never used it. He had a license for both firearms.
[edit] The shooting
On the day of the shooting, Steinhäuser left home the same time he always did, and told his parents he had an exam. Steinhäuser got changed into a black ninja-style outfit in the lavatories of his school and started the shooting at approximately 11:00am.
He moved from classroom to classroom, pausing briefly each time in the doorway to shoot the teacher, then moving onto the next room. According to students, he ignored them and aimed only for the teachers, although two students were also killed, possibly unintentionally.
Five minutes after the shooting began, police began arriving on the scene. Soon after, Steinhäuser aimed from a window and shot a police officer in the head, killing him instantly. Before his suicide, he was confronted by one of his teachers, Rainer Heise, who was said to have stopped Steinhäuser with the words, "Drück ab! Wenn du mich jetzt erschießt, dann guck mir in die Augen!" ("Pull the trigger! If you shoot me now, then look me in the eyes!"), Steinhäuser is said to have pulled off his mask and answered, "Für heute reicht's, Herr Heise!" ("That's enough for today, Mr Heise!").
According to Mr Heise, he then talked to Steinhäuser for a short amount of time, luring him into the doorway of an empty room. When Steinhäuser was in the doorway, Heise pushed Steinhäuser into the room and quickly locked the door. Steinhäuser committed suicide shortly after and his body was found by police a few hours after the shooting.
[edit] Rumors about a second shooter
Since the incident there have always been rumors about a second shooter, who some witnesses believed they had seen. However, in April 2004 the so-called Gasser Commission, which was convoked by the Thuringian administration, excluded an accomplice, but not an accessory.
In early 2004 a person on the Internet had maintained to be a friend of Steinhäuser's and to have known about his plans before the massacre. No closure by authorities was ever given as to whether this claim was true.
[edit] Trivia
- Steinhäuser's words Für heute reicht's (This is enough for today) are also the title of a very controversial book about the massacre written by Ines Geipel, that revealed several mistakes made by the police on the case.
- Exactly 71 9mm rounds were fired by Steinhäuser in the entire shooting.
- On the same day of the shooting, the German Government discussed raising the age level on firearm ownership from 18 to 21.
[edit] Education laws
The education laws in Thuringia were heavily criticised. In contrast to most other German states, they had no Year 10 examinations (Realschulabschluss) at the Gymnasium (High School). Students who failed their Year 12 examinations (Abitur) or were expelled before (as in Steinhäuser's case) were unable to graduate, and thus had poor job prospects. This law was changed in 2003, after which students could take a voluntary Year 10 examination (Besondere Leistungsfeststellung) also at Grammar Schools. Since 2004 these examinations are compulsory for all students.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
- "18 dead in German school shooting" BBC News article (April 26, 2002)
- "Eighteen killed in German school shooting" The Guardian article (April 26, 2002)
- "How teacher stopped the school slaughter" The Observer article (April 28, 2002)
- "Schools remember massacre victims" BBC News article (29 April, 2002)
- "Killer's secret behind revenge attack" The Guardian article (April 29, 2002)
- "School killer's parents break silence" The Observer article (May 5, 2002)
