By Inga Grömminger
The gunman Philipp F. (35) shot his former fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses 135 times, killing himself with the last shot. This bloodbath leaves us angry and stunned in many ways.
We think about the Jehovah’s Witnesses, of whom we have all heard a lot and reported dropouts. The pressure is high in this “community” and it is almost impossible to break away from it. Philipp F. did not leave voluntarily. Last year he wrote a manifesto about God and Satan, after which the sect is said to have thrown him out.
The murder motive revenge is one of the oldest and yet it is not so simple in this case. Because the question arises: Could the crime have been prevented?
Philipp F. was considered to be extremely religious and extremely gun-loving, and if you look at his website, he was also extremely unrealistic. He claims he is a financial advisor, daily rate: 250,000 euros. Most recently he worked as a bank clerk, having lost his job during the pandemic.
The police received an anonymous letter warning Philipp F. that he suffers from a mental illness and harbors “a particular anger against religious adherents, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses…”. The weapons authority visited Philipp F. and left again. The gunman had a gun license as a marksman.
I don’t know why we can’t finally regulate by law: Weapons have no place at home. With nobody. Should remain locked in the sports club or at the police station and may only be taken out there. End.