By Matthias Lukaschewitsch, Hartmut Wagner, Fabian Matzerath, Michael Sauerbier and Olaf Wagner
For 35 hours, a trigger-happy gun nut kept the Brandenburg town of Vieritz, with its 300 souls, and the police and special operations squad (SEK) in suspense.
At the end of the nervous drama west of Berlin, the elite police discovered Wolfgang W. dead in his house!
Chronology of the operation: On Friday afternoon, W. was with his wife, his son and his brother Eugen W. in the village’s former restaurant when the youth welfare office arrived. The employees wanted to work with the police to implement a district court order regarding child endangerment. They were shot at from inside the house!
Shortly afterwards, Eugen W. ran out of the house armed and was arrested.
After forensic examinations, the man’s body was removed by an undertaker on Sunday. The man had previously barricaded himself armed in the house and shot at the police Photo: Olaf Wagner
The mother later fled the house with her son. Her husband continued to entrench himself. Police negotiators tried to establish contact for hours.
Suddenly at midday on Saturday there was an explosion in the house! The police advanced but withdrew again when Wolfgang W. opened fire.
When the police stormed the house again at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, they found the shooter dead in the attic – shot in the head. It is being investigated whether the fatal bullet came from a police weapon or whether the man shot himself.
The broken window in the family home Photo: Olaf Wagner
Who is the dead man?
Wolfgang W. and his brother Eugen are said to have taken over the house from the owner four years ago via rent-to-own. Wolfgang W. lived with his partner and son on the first floor. His brother had moved into the ground floor with his wife and three daughters. The families were seen as friendly and open-minded.
However, massive conflicts are said to have arisen in the house: some time ago, Eugen W’s wife is said to have fled to the women’s shelter with their children. In the case of Wolfgang W., the youth welfare office got involved because of a child welfare threat. According to BZ information, the boy did not go to school.
The elite police officers found firearms, ammunition, hand grenades – and drugs in large quantities on the premises and in the house.
On social media, Eugen W. presents himself as a military and cannabis fan. He is being investigated for drug trafficking. He is in custody in the Wriezen prison.