After more than a year, police shoot at cars: investigation closed

On August 26, 2022, a suspicious white van was targeted by a police patrol in Wörgl. The wild chase finally ended on the track in St. Johann in Tirol (Kitzbühel district). There were three boys in the car, two 14-year-old Austrians and a 13-year-old Russian.

At that point, officers said they heard a loud bang, believed to be caused by a tire blowout. Immediately afterwards, at least nine shots were fired. One of the 14-year-olds was hit in the hand and shoulder and seriously injured. The investigation has been ongoing ever since.

Investigations stopped
The matter must now be clarified – in any case, the investigation against the two police officers has been stopped. As has been reported several times, the criminal investigation service of the state of Carinthia did this “to avoid any appearance of bias”, according to the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office.

Public prosecutor with explanation
“After the 45-minute chase involving numerous risky and dangerous driving maneuvers, the police officers assumed they were being shot at due to a loud bang, after which they opened fire or, according to their assessment at the time, returned fire,” police said. statement said. Several shots were fired in the direction of the van from a distance of approximately 50 meters. The bursting of the left front tire has now been confirmed by the Public Prosecution Service. “The fact that the police officers made a mistake is understandable given the situation and cannot therefore be blamed on them,” the report concludes.