Police in Germany are under fire for not having body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Black man in Oldenburg. The victim, identified as Lorenz, was shot five times in the hip, upper body, and head in the city’s pedestrian zone.
Thomas Feltes, the victim’s mother’s lawyer, expressed disappointment that the officers did not have their body cameras turned on during the incident. He believes that having the cameras running could have potentially de-escalated the situation.
The young man had previously used pepper spray outside a nightclub, injuring multiple people before fleeing. When officers tried to arrest him, he reportedly approached them aggressively and sprayed them with pepper spray again.
Despite having body cameras, the officers did not activate them during the encounter, leading to criticism from Rafael Behr of the Hamburg Police Academy. The officer who fired the shots has been suspended pending investigation for manslaughter.
A large rally was held in Oldenburg, with thousands of people demanding answers about the shooting. The peaceful demonstration called for a thorough investigation into the incident, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability in such cases.
