The cashier at the gas station was shot dead as a result of a dispute over wearing a mask to protect against coronavirus, according to DPA, citing a statement from the German prosecutor’s office.
A 49-year-old man, a customer at a gas station in the West German city of Idar-Oberstein, was in a rage after an employee refused to sell him beer because he did not have a mask covering his nose and mouth, said Attorney General Kai Furmann.
The attacker confessed to the murder of a 20-year-old student with a shot to the head and said that he was pushed by the severity of the pandemic, Furman said.
The criminal felt cornered and “saw no other way out” but to set an example. His victim was “responsible for the whole situation because she applied the rules,” the prosecutor stressed.
According to investigators, the 49-year-old attacker entered the gas station on Saturday night without a mask and tried to buy 12 bottles of beer. The cashier drew his attention to the requirement to wear a mask. The buyer returned an hour later in a mask and tried again to buy beer. Trying to buy beer, he lowered his protective mask. The cashier again advised him to comply with the requirement to wear masks, and then the criminal shot him.
Police arrested him the next morning in the town of Idar-Oberstein.