Police Shot Man on the Run in Graz

A 43-year-old man was shot late Thursday evening in the Graz district of Eggenberg during a police operation after violating a restraining order. The Bosnian attempted to flee from the police control in his car and drove directly towards the officers, as spokesperson Sabri Yorgun explained to the APA. The woman, who was protected by the restraining and no-contact order, was unharmed. A police officer was injured.

No Life-Threatening Injuries for 43-Year-Old

The severely injured man was extracted from the vehicle by the police and given first aid. He underwent surgery that night and is not in a life-threatening condition, according to the police spokesperson. The public prosecutor's office ordered the arrest of the 43-year-old on suspicion of attempted murder. Regarding the use of the service weapon, the Investigation and Complaint Office for Allegations of Mistreatment (EBM), located in the Federal Office for Corruption Prevention and Combating Corruption (BAK), has begun its work.

The restraining and no-contact order was issued on Thursday to protect the Bosnian's ex-partner. In the evening, the police were informed that the man had approached the residential building again. The patrol found the man around 9:00 PM at the specified location sitting in his car. During the control, he allegedly made dangerous threats to the intervening officers and then drove the vehicle first backward and then forward towards the officers, the police spokesperson reported.

Another Incident in Lower Austria

Just on Wednesday afternoon, a fatal shot from a police weapon was fired at a 49-year-old in St. Aegyd am Neuwalde (Lilienfeld district). There, the Austrian citizen attacked police officers with a knife and was fatally shot with a service weapon.

It is very rare for people to be shot during police operations in Austria. The majority of cases involving the use of firearms are warning shots and shots aimed at objects such as car tires.

444 Uses of Weapons Last Year

According to the Ministry of the Interior, in 2020, there were 310 uses of weapons in 210 operations, which includes not only firearms but all weapons such as tasers and pepper spray. In these incidents, 79 people were slightly injured and five people were seriously injured. Two people were killed. In 2021, there were 245 operations with 534 uses of weapons. Here, 110 people were slightly injured, three people were seriously injured, and two suspects were killed. In 2022, weapons were used 654 times in 213 operations. 137 people were slightly injured, four were seriously injured, and no one was killed.

For 2023, the ministry's statistics showed 328 uses of weapons in 202 operations. Accordingly, 65 people were slightly injured, three were seriously injured, and one person was shot dead. In 2024, there were 444 uses of weapons in 254 operations. In these incidents, 90 people were slightly injured, two people were seriously injured, and four people were killed.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, officers are fundamentally trained to act de-escalating in dangerous situations. This includes interactive scenario training, where police officers specifically learn to remain calm in stressful situations, and the use of weapons is also practiced here.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.