By Karin Hendrich
They were standing in front of the Memorial Church when their class trip ended in a nightmare. On June 8, 2022, 10th grade students from Bad Arolsen in Hesse had to watch a gunman kill their teacher (51) on the Kudamm. They themselves became victims.
The terrible record: 16 injured, one person dead. Gor H. wanted to kill, according to the prosecutor’s office. Nine months after the death journey of the apparently mentally ill German-Armenian (29), the students tell the Berlin district court what they experienced and what the act made of them.
Their statements to investigators and for the court were read on Wednesday.
Amok driver Gor H. (29) is arrested, he calls: “Please help! Please help!” Photo: Private
Judge Thomas Groß reasoned: “In order to protect them from re-traumatization, I did not invite them to Berlin.”
► Levi D* (17): “We walked down the street. From one moment to the next the car was there. Zack, I was on it. Flew through the air (…) I still have nightmares now and then.”
► Matteo L* (17): “I heard the car just before the impact. Then I was on the ground – injured in the shoulder, the shins. Shards of glass in hand. I saw people screaming. After that I developed eating disorders. I’ve become more sensitive to noise…”
► Malia T * (17): “I was hit in the left hip. I still have trouble sleeping and panic attacks. Didn’t process it properly. Above all, the death of Ms. H. Before the trip, I said to her how nice it was that she had been with us as a teacher since the 5th grade and that I was happy to receive my final certificate from her. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
► Leni K.* (14), for whom the Berlin trip was a birthday present from her grandparents: “We had just orientated ourselves on a pillar on the road map. Suddenly a loud bang. Grandpa pulled us aside. However, I was injured in my leg. That looked gross. The grandparents are still very much under the impression.”
► Pole Milan Z. (31) was hit by the gunman’s clio at a snack bar on Marburger Straße: “I’ve been stressed ever since. Stop going to mass events, avoid cinemas and walks with my son in the city center. Should scream at night, says my fiancee. I did therapy. But I definitely need another one. My life came to a standstill at that time. I lost my job and with it my source of income.”
Gor H. listens motionless in the courtroom behind bulletproof glass. He has been considered a paranoid schizophrenic for years. He is said not to have taken his pills before the death trip. Now he gets depot injections in the correctional facility. Instead of imprisonment, he faces a lifelong stay in a mental health clinic.
*Names changed