Drove over people

As a result of a collision with passers-by in the pedestrian zone of the German city of Trier, 4 people died, including one small child. Another 15 people received injuries of varying severity.

The black Range Rover SUV was driven by a 51-year-old man, a German citizen who, according to the mayor of Trier Wolfram Laibe, was “in a fit of rage.” The incident took place in broad daylight on Tuesday. The car flew into the pedestrian zone in the city center near the famous antique gates of Porta Nigra and rushed along it for about a kilometer at a speed of about 70 km / h. “People who got in his way literally flew through the air from being hit by a car,” eyewitnesses said. Nothing was announced about his motives at the time of signing the issue.

“What happened in Trier is shocking,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was in touch with the Prime Minister of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate and expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims. At the same time, the authorities note that “no political background to the incident has been found.”

At 8 pm on December 1, bells rang in all the churches of Trier in memory of the victims.

In connection with the tragedy in Trier, German media recalled several similar incidents that happened in Germany. In February, a 29-year-old man rode into the crowd during the Carnival prior to Lent in Volkmarsen. Dozens of people, including children, were injured. The perpetrator was arrested. In January 2019, in the town of Bottrop, four people died under the wheels of a 50-year-old driver, who was then admitted to a psychiatric hospital.