Police officer shoots knife attacker in Krefeld-Uerdingen – Investigation handled by Gelsenkirchen Police

Background: Family dispute in Uerdingen

When the two police officers arrived at the scene, the suspect immediately attacked the officers with a knife. The Gelsenkirchen Police described the sequence of events in the following words: „Beim Eintreffen von zwei Polizisten habe der Verdächtige diese mit einem Messer angegriffen."

One of the officers then used his firearm, as the statement continued. The two police officers involved were uninjured in the incident.

The 41-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries from the gunshot. He was taken to a hospital, where he died „kurz darauf", as the investigating authority stated.

Sequence of the firearm use

The Gelsenkirchen Police confirmed the man's death and provided initial details on the course of events. A police spokesperson said in the morning that she was not aware of precise information regarding the background of the family dispute: „Eine Polizeisprecherin sagte, genaue Informationen zum Hintergrund der familiären Streitigkeiten seien ihr nicht bekannt."

For reasons of neutrality, the investigation was taken over not by the Krefeld Police themselves but by the Gelsenkirchen Police. The authority explained regarding this: „Aus Neutralitätsgründen übernahm demnach die Polizei Gelsenkirchen die Ermittlungen zu dem Vorfall in Krefeld."

Gelsenkirchen takes over the investigation

The responsible investigative unit is therefore organizationally part of the North Rhine-Westphalia Police, but is separated in terms of personnel and location from the Krefeld officers involved in the operation. The Gelsenkirchen Police explained: „Andere Einheit der Polizei Nordrhein-Westfalen ermittelt."

The Gelsenkirchen investigators announced their intention to comprehensively reconstruct the circumstances of the firearm use and the preceding altercation. Among other steps, witnesses and the two police officers are to be heard.

A police spokesperson in Gelsenkirchen stated in the morning that the investigations were still ongoing: „Diese Ermittlungen dauerten derzeit noch an, sagte am Vormittag die Polizeisprecherin in Gelsenkirchen."

Current findings and open questions

The information about the fatal firearm use was published during the night into Sunday by the Gelsenkirchen Police. WDR.de reported on 21.06.2026 at 00:41 under the headline „Verdächtiger stirbt nach Polizeieinsatz in Krefeld".

Regarding the specific course of the family altercation, the number of relatives involved, and the exact timing of the knife attack, the investigators initially provided no further details. No details were initially given either on the type of knife used or the number of shots fired.

According to police information, the public prosecutor's office was brought in, as the case involves a fatal firearm use by an officer. The procedure corresponds to the standard practice in North Rhine-Westphalia for so-called cases of firearm use resulting in death.

Authorities involved and procedure

The city of Krefeld did not initially make any public statement on the incident. At the municipal level, such operations are generally only politically evaluated after the completion of the police investigations and an assessment by the public prosecutor's office.

The Gelsenkirchen Police requested that any potential additional witnesses to the incident contact them at the known police phone numbers. Tips from the public could be decisive in reconstructing the exact sequence of events in Uerdingen.

Request for witness tips

No public information is currently available regarding the health condition of the slightly injured woman from the preceding family altercation. The investigators also did not initially comment on the relationship between the 41-year-old and the family members.