Trial begins at Gießen Regional Court: Defendant remains silent on shots fired in betting shop

Chief public prosecutor Thomas Hauburger described the entire incident as having occurred within a few seconds. As he left the store, the defendant allegedly fired another shot in the direction of the entrance, which, however, hit no one. He then allegedly disposed of the weapon in a trash can and went to his residence in Linden, where he was arrested that same evening, October 11, 2025, after a manhunt. The weapon was found in the trash can, according to the public prosecutor's office.

The injuries of the three victims, aged 16, 27, and 40, affected their legs and torsos, according to investigators. The public prosecutor's office is convinced that the act was documented by video cameras inside the betting shop as well as by a surveillance camera from Gießen's municipal utility company on Marktplatz. On the first day of the trial, the court examined, among other things, footage from the internal camera and screenshots from the municipal camera.

Investigators see dispute as trigger

Investigators see a dispute between the defendant and one of the injured parties, which allegedly occurred about three weeks before the incident, as the presumed motive. In this incident, described as a mutual physical altercation, both parties have also been summoned as witnesses in the current proceedings. One of the two individuals involved in the September dispute is a co-plaintiff, according to the court, and was scheduled to testify on the first day of the trial but did not appear. The exact background of the dispute remains unclear, according to the public prosecutor's office.

Hauburger explained that the other people present in the betting shop knew each other to some extent but were not directly involved in the earlier dispute. The public prosecutor's office bases its assumption about the motive on witness statements, the evaluation of video recordings, and mobile phone data, according to its own statements.

Defendant remains silent – defense attorney announces statement

The defendant, who holds Turkish citizenship and is in pre-trial detention in Frankfurt, according to the court, did not comment on the allegations at the start of the proceedings. He has prior convictions for offenses including bodily harm and violations of the Narcotics Act.

Defense attorney Frank Richtberg announced that his client would make a statement at the next hearing on June 22. Until then, the trial will continue with further evidence gathering, according to the court.

The trial begins approximately eight months after the incident. The public prosecutor's office currently assumes that the defendant fired intentionally and without warning on October 11, 2025, with the intent to kill one of those present. Hauburger stated that the exact background of the motive has not yet been definitively clarified. He commented: "However, during this shooting, there was a ricochet that hit another person sitting at a slot machine," and added: "The closer background to the motive is not yet known."

In the coming court sessions, the chamber at the Gießen Regional Court will hear witnesses and experts, among others. If the defendant makes a statement as announced on June 22, this could provide new insights into the course of events and the relationship between those involved.