Particle.news
Download on the App Store

NRW Lawmakers Scrutinize Bochum Police Shooting of Deaf 12-Year-Old as Prosecutors Detail Stairwell Encounter

Prosecutors now lead a neutrality‑mandated probe as officials face questions over communication with a deaf family.

Overview

  • In a joint special session, officials outlined that four officers withdrew to a stairwell, reported noises suggesting knives, then confronted the girl as she appeared with two kitchen knives before a near‑simultaneous Taser deployment and gunshot at roughly two meters.
  • The girl is described as awake and responsive after two operations, with a third procedure expected in the coming days.
  • Investigators are probing the shooter for attempted manslaughter and another officer for bodily harm in office over the Taser, and both have exercised their right to remain silent.
  • The family’s lawyer disputes the narrative as premature and biased, contending there was no imminent knife attack and saying the deaf mother and brother recount a different course of events.
  • No bodycam footage exists and no sign‑language interpreter was on scene; Interior Minister Herbert Reul plans talks with deaf associations and a training review, while lawmakers seek clarity on the claimed medical urgency and agency coordination.