Relatives of the victims look back The Pratteln shooter is on trial today
On Wednesday, the shooter from Pratteln BL will stand trial. The 50-year-old fired shots at the train station around two years ago. No one was injured.
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- In June 2022, a 48-year-old man threatened people at Pratteln BL railroad station with a loaded gun and fired around indiscriminately.
- He did not hit anyone, partly due to technical faults.
- The perpetrator is charged with attempted intentional homicide and other offenses.
- The reasons for the crime are unclear and, according to an expert opinion, his culpability was severely impaired.
- One victim, who was almost shot, died around a year later due to a medical problem.
On June 28, 2022, a then 48-year-old man caused shocking moments at the train station in Pratteln BL: he threatened several people with a loaded Glock 19 and fired shots. He pointed the gun at passers-by across the tracks.
No one was hit, by chance and also because the people were hiding behind parked cars.
Finally, the gunman made his way through the station underpass to the opposite side, where he threatened a group of friends. First he complimented a young man from the group, saying he had "nice hair". Then he pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger.
The victim was lucky: the gun did not fire due to a feed malfunction. "I thought that was it! The guy loaded the gun, I closed my eyes, he pulled the trigger. Several times. But nothing happened," recalls the brother (31) of the then 20-year-old man in an interview with Blick.
Motives for the crime are unclear
According to Blick, the indictment states that the perpetrator then aimed at two other people in the group of teenagers, but the gun jammed there too.
On Wednesday, September 25, the 50-year-old will stand before the Baselland Criminal Court in Muttenz BL. He is charged with multiple counts of attempted intentional homicide, endangering life, frightening the public and multiple violations of the Weapons Act.
On the night of terror in Pratteln, the shooter initially also pointed the gun at the police, then surrendered and was arrested.
The motives for the crime are still unclear, and the perpetrator himself "can't make sense of it", as his lawyer Joël Naef told Blick. According to the indictment, he would have had around 1.6 per mille in his blood. Naef is also quoted as saying: "According to the expert, his culpability was severely impaired."
Meanwhile, the victim's brother wishes: "The perpetrator should receive a fair sentence and then actually serve it." The then 20-year-old, who was almost shot by the perpetrator, will not be able to attend the trial. He died due to a medical problem - around a year after the incident at Pratteln railroad station.
