Overview
- Authorities say the child moved toward officers with two kitchen knives in a Bochum apartment around 1:30 a.m., prompting the use of a Taser and a shot that hit her abdomen.
- For neutrality, the Essen homicide squad is leading the investigation, and the officer who fired has been formally named a suspect and is exercising his right to remain silent.
- Investigators report that the mother opened after a delay and was restrained in the hallway when officers entered, with the shot fired as the girl stood immediately in front of the police.
- The girl and her mother are deaf, and investigators are examining how officers attempted to communicate and whether less‑lethal options or disengagement were possible, with several operational details still unclear.
- The 12-year-old had been reported missing from a Münster group home and depends on vital medication; surgeons operated and later described her condition as critical but stable.