Guilty and Acquittal in Trial Over Gang War in Vienna Park

The two defendants did not confess to the events in Anton-Kummerer-Park in Brigittenau. The eight jurors took almost four hours to reach their verdict. On the second and final day of the trial before the jury court chaired by Wolfgang Etl, further witnesses and the firearms expert Ingo Wieser were heard.

Trial over gang war in Vienna park: Call data analysis shows proximity to crime scene

The men, represented by defense attorneys Alexander Philipp and Florian Kreiner, assured that they had not entered the park after it was stormed by dozens of Syrians armed with wooden slats, iron bars, machetes, and other weapon-capable objects. Call data analysis of the defendants' phones revealed that they were at least nearby, with a deviation of one kilometer.

The 30-year-old was accused of firing a pistol at least six times with intent to kill at five opponents. According to the indictment, the bullets narrowly missed the Syrians. Two of them were injured by projectiles ricocheting off vehicles. One suffered a four-centimeter shrapnel injury in the area of the breastbone tip, the other a superficial laceration on the right thigh.

Particles from casings match gunshot residue in car

The 30-year-old consistently denied firing the shots, claiming he was near the crime scene but would have driven away in his car as soon as he heard the shots. However, gunshot residue was found in his car that clearly matched the particles from the seized cartridge casings, as Wieser explained on Wednesday. His justification that he regularly shot at a shooting range in Slovakia and that the gunshot residue came from there was refuted by both the shooting range operator and the expert. None of the cartridges found at his home matched the particles in the car.

The 29-year-old, in turn, is said to have accompanied the main defendant, with whom he claims to have been friends for 14 years, knowing the plan. According to the indictment, the younger man also armed himself at the crime scene, but no use of a weapon could be proven. The indictment alleged that he had "at least psychologically encouraged" the 30-year-old in his shooting. However, a friend of the 29-year-old testified as a witness at today's trial, emphasizing that the man was with her eating pizza near the park. They then sat on a bench near the Brigittenau swimming pool. Suddenly, young Chechens ran past them. The 29-year-old spoke with them and briefly went with them. When the shots were fired, he returned and said, "We should leave," according to the young woman. "We then went to a cafe." The two then observed the police operation.

Firearms expert Wieser explained that the weapon used in the crime must have been a Walther P5, a gun that ejects cartridge casings on the left side. The perpetrator fired six times. Additionally, further bullet holes were discovered in a parking lot, suggesting that two more shots were fired there. Since no casings were found, it is possible that the weapon was fired from a car. Whether it was the same perpetrator or a second suspect, the expert could not say. All the cartridges were nine millimeters in size. In the car of the first defendant, gunshot residue was found not only on the steering wheel but also on a fanny pack belonging to the 29-year-old. Since these were only found in two compartments of the inner pocket, the experts assume that someone with contaminated hands might have reached inside.

(APA/Red)

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