Winnenden school shooting

Winnenden

Wendlingen

Locations of the incident within Germany

In the Albertville-Realschule at approximately 09:30, Kretschmer first began shooting with a 9mm Beretta 92FS pistol, which he had stolen from his parents.[6][7][8] Eyewitness reports state that Kretschmer started on the first upstairs floor,[9] where he made a beeline for two top-floor classrooms and a chemistry laboratory.[10] In the first classroom (Class 9C which was receiving a Spanish lesson), Kretschmer fatally shot five students in the head at close range without warning. He then entered the next classroom (Class 10D which was receiving a German speaking lesson), killed two more students, and wounded nine more, two of whom would die of their wounds en route to the hospital. As Kretschmer left the room to reload his weapon, the teacher reportedly closed the door and locked it. After unsuccessfully trying to shoot off the lock, Kretschmer then moved on to the chemistry laboratory, where he shot and killed the teacher. Students escaped Kretschmer by jumping out of windows.[11] In the three targeted classrooms, he killed nine students (eight female and one male, 15–16 years old) and a female teacher.[12] He shot most of his victims in the head.[13] Kretschmer fired more than 60 rounds at the school.[14]

The school headmaster broadcast a coded announcement ("Mrs Koma is coming", which is amok spelled backwards)[15] alerting the teachers of the situation; they locked classroom doors. This coded alert had been used by German educators after the Erfurt school massacre in April 2002.[16]

After receiving an emergency call from a student at 09:33 local time,[8] three police officers reached the scene two minutes later and entered the school, interrupting the shooting spree.[9] Kretschmer shot at them and fled the building, killing two female teachers in the hall as he departed. He killed a total of 12 people at the school.[2][9] A quantity of unused ammunition was recovered from the school. "It appears the perpetrator may have intended to do far more harm at the school than he managed," said chief criminal investigator Ralf Michelfelder.[11]

The psychiatric institution near the school where Kretschmer killed a 56-year-old employee

Kretschmer fled the scene and killed a 56-year-old gardener of a nearby psychiatric institution in the park.[2][17][18] Large numbers of police officers secured the school building and searched for Kretschmer throughout Winnenden for hours without success.[7] News reports confirmed that Kretschmer was on the run and warned motorists not to pick up any hitchhikers.[11]

At approximately 10:00, Kretschmer carjacked a first-generation Volkswagen Sharan minivan at a car park in Winnenden. From his position on the rear seat, Kretschmer ordered the car's driver, a man named Igor Wolf, to drive towards Wendlingen, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Winnenden. Kretschmer and the driver went westwards into the suburbs of Stuttgart, the Baden-Württemberg state capital, travelling through the towns and districts of Waiblingen, Fellbach and Bad Cannstatt, before driving on the B14 dual carriageway through the Heslach Tunnel onto the A81 motorway towards Böblingen and Tübingen. The two drove onto the B27 dual carriageway before leaving on the B313 to Nürtingen.

Wolf later reported that, when asked why he was doing this, Kretschmer replied, "For fun, because it is fun."[19] According to Wolf, Kretschmer revealed his intentions as he was loading his pistol magazines during the ride: "Do you think we will find another school?" Wolf says he quickly changed the conversation then.[20] Shortly after 12:00, just before the Wendlinger junction to the A8 Autobahn, Wolf steered the car onto the grass verge and jumped from the vehicle toward a police patrol car.[9]

Kretschmer immediately left the car and ran towards the nearby industrial area, entering a Volkswagen car showroom through the main entrance. He threatened a salesperson and demanded a key for one of the vehicles. The salesperson escaped while Kretschmer was distracted. Kretschmer shot and killed another salesperson and a customer, firing 13 bullets into the two people. As he reloaded, another salesperson and visitor fled through the rear exit.[9] Kretschmer emerged at about 12:30 and shot at a passing car. The driver escaped without injury. The police started to arrive and a shootout began. An officer fired eight shots at Kretschmer, hitting him once in each leg.[9]

Kretschmer returned to the car showroom, firing 12 shots from within the building at police from nearby Nürtingen, who were gradually surrounding the building. He left the rear of the building and ran across a yard to a neighbouring business complex, where he shot and injured two police officers in an unmarked police vehicle.[9]

According to police reports, at this point Kretschmer continued to shoot at random, shooting at nearby buildings and people, including an employee of a firm who was trying to lock the door. Witnesses described observing Kretschmer as he reloaded his pistol before shooting himself in the head.[2][9][11][21] The final seconds of the shootout were captured with a mobile phone video camera.[22]

According to forensic evidence, Kretschmer fired a total of 112 rounds.[9]

He had profiles at "MyVideo.de", Kwick.de and other websites.[37] He often played poker with his classmates in the "Cafe Tunix" after school hours in Waiblingen.[29]

After inspection of his computer, officers found that Kretschmer was interested in sadomasochistic scenes where a man is bound and humiliated by women. He viewed such a movie the evening before his attacks. Kretschmer also researched previous mass shootings such as the Erfurt school massacre, the Emsdetten school shooting and the Columbine High School massacre.[38]

Kretschmer did not have a criminal record.[9] The press reported that in 2008, Kretschmer had received treatment as an in-patient at the Weissenhoff Psychiatric Clinic near the town of Heilbronn. After being discharged, Kretschmer was supposed to continue his treatment as an out-patient in Winnenden, but ended his treatment.[9][39]

According to police and clinic staff, he had been treated repeatedly for clinical depression on an out-patient basis in 2008. His family rejected these claims and maintained that he never received psychiatric treatment.[40] According to a psychiatric report prepared for the prosecutor's office, Kretschmer met five times with a therapist and talked about his growing anger and violent urges; the therapist informed Kretschmer's parents.[38]

In a press conference on 12 March, police erroneously reported that Kretschmer had announced his killing spree several hours ahead of time on Krautchan.[16] The next day, police determined that this message had not been written on Kretschmer's computer and was a forgery.[41]

Three weeks before the shooting, Kretschmer had written a letter to his parents, saying that he was suffering and could not go on.[27] In an interview in 2014, Kretschmer's parents stated that they had always loved their son and that they did not have an explanation for his actions. They have since changed their name and moved to a different city.[42]