Erfurt massacre
Encyclopedia
The Erfurt massacre was a school massacre
that occurred on April 26, 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium
in Erfurt
, Germany
. The gunman, 19-year-old expelled
student Robert Steinhäuser, shot and killed sixteen people; comprising 13 faculty members, 2 students, and one police officer, before committing suicide
. One person was also wounded by a bullet fragment.
Robert Steinhäuser was a student of the Gutenberg Gymnasium until early Oct 2001. At the end of September 2001 he had spent a few days away from school, for which he presented a medical certificate which was quickly identified as a forgery. Because of this forgery Steinhäuser was expelled.
Due to the regulations used in Thuringia at this time, Steinhäuser on expulsion found himself with no qualifications at all, and therefore very limited job prospects.
to change his clothes, and then donned a black ninja
-style outfit.
The shooting started at approximately 11:05 a.m. Steinhäuser had moved from classroom to classroom, pausing briefly each time in the doorway to shoot the teacher, then moving on to the next room. According to students, he ignored them and aimed only for the teachers, although two students were killed by shots fired through a locked door.
Five minutes after the shooting began, police arrived outside the school. Soon after, Steinhäuser aimed from a window and fatally shot a police officer in the head. Before he committed suicide, he was confronted by one of his teachers, Rainer Heise, who walked into the demasking shooter. Pausing, having established deep eye-contact with Steinhäuser, he said, "Du kannst mich jetzt erschießen." ("You can shoot me now."), Steinhäuser is said to have answered, "Herr Heise, für heute reicht's ("Mr. Heise, enough for today"). According to Heise, he then talked to Steinhäuser for a short amount of time, luring him into the doorway of an empty room. When Steinhäuser was in the doorway, Heise pushed Steinhäuser into the room and quickly locked the door. Steinhäuser committed suicide shortly after and his body was found by police a few hours after the shooting. 71 rounds were fired throughout the whole series of shootings.
Steinhäuser's last words -- Für heute reicht's ("It's enough for today") -- was also the title of a very controversial book about the massacre
written by Ines Geipel, who alleged that there were several mistakes made by the police on the case. Geipel, and relatives of some of the victims, criticized police for the initial speed of their response. The police had initially believed there was a second gunman, leading them to retake the school one floor at a time rather than storm the entire building.
Heise was touted as a national hero for locking Steinhäuser in a room which ended the killing spree, but was later subject to innuendo and other backlash from some members of the public.
The massacre led to the development of a code word that could be broadcast over the public address system to warn teachers of a shooting. "Mrs Koma is coming", which is "amok" spelled backwards, was later used at the Albertville school shooting
to instruct teachers to lock doors.
School massacre
A school shooting is an incident in which gun violence occurs at an educational institution.-Definition:The term school shooting most commonly describes acts committed by either a student or intruders from outside the school campus...
that occurred on April 26, 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium
Gutenberg-Gymnasium Erfurt
The Gutenberg-Gymnasium Erfurt is a gymnasium located in Erfurt, Germany. It opened in 1991 and has approximately 750 students between the ages of 10 and 19.-History:...
in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The gunman, 19-year-old expelled
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
student Robert Steinhäuser, shot and killed sixteen people; comprising 13 faculty members, 2 students, and one police officer, before committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. One person was also wounded by a bullet fragment.
Background
While the motive is unknown, it is believed to be related to Steinhäuser's expulsion from school without qualifications and his subsequent feeling of victimhood and hopelessness regarding his future job opportunities.Robert Steinhäuser was a student of the Gutenberg Gymnasium until early Oct 2001. At the end of September 2001 he had spent a few days away from school, for which he presented a medical certificate which was quickly identified as a forgery. Because of this forgery Steinhäuser was expelled.
Due to the regulations used in Thuringia at this time, Steinhäuser on expulsion found himself with no qualifications at all, and therefore very limited job prospects.
The massacre
On the day of the shooting, Steinhäuser armed himself with a 9mm Glock 17 and a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, which was unusable due to an earlier handling error, before leaving his residence at his usual time. When he entered the campus, he went into the lavatoriesToilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
to change his clothes, and then donned a black ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
-style outfit.
The shooting started at approximately 11:05 a.m. Steinhäuser had moved from classroom to classroom, pausing briefly each time in the doorway to shoot the teacher, then moving on to the next room. According to students, he ignored them and aimed only for the teachers, although two students were killed by shots fired through a locked door.
Five minutes after the shooting began, police arrived outside the school. Soon after, Steinhäuser aimed from a window and fatally shot a police officer in the head. Before he committed suicide, he was confronted by one of his teachers, Rainer Heise, who walked into the demasking shooter. Pausing, having established deep eye-contact with Steinhäuser, he said, "Du kannst mich jetzt erschießen." ("You can shoot me now."), Steinhäuser is said to have answered, "Herr Heise, für heute reicht's ("Mr. Heise, enough for today"). According to Heise, he then talked to Steinhäuser for a short amount of time, luring him into the doorway of an empty room. When Steinhäuser was in the doorway, Heise pushed Steinhäuser into the room and quickly locked the door. Steinhäuser committed suicide shortly after and his body was found by police a few hours after the shooting. 71 rounds were fired throughout the whole series of shootings.
Steinhäuser's last words -- Für heute reicht's ("It's enough for today") -- was also the title of a very controversial book about the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
written by Ines Geipel, who alleged that there were several mistakes made by the police on the case. Geipel, and relatives of some of the victims, criticized police for the initial speed of their response. The police had initially believed there was a second gunman, leading them to retake the school one floor at a time rather than storm the entire building.
Heise was touted as a national hero for locking Steinhäuser in a room which ended the killing spree, but was later subject to innuendo and other backlash from some members of the public.
The massacre led to the development of a code word that could be broadcast over the public address system to warn teachers of a shooting. "Mrs Koma is coming", which is "amok" spelled backwards, was later used at the Albertville school shooting
Winnenden school shooting
The Winnenden school shooting occurred on the morning of 11 March 2009 at a secondary school in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen. The shooting spree resulted in 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator,...
to instruct teachers to lock doors.
Reactions
- Steinhäuser's family issued a statement to news sources saying that they "will forever be sorry that our son and brother has brought such horrifying suffering to the victims and their relatives, the people of Erfurt and Thuringia, and all over Germany."
- The United States Secretary of EducationUnited States Secretary of EducationThe United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession...
Rod PaigeRod PaigeRoderick Raynor "Rod" Paige served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, built a career on a belief that education equalizes opportunity, moving from classroom teacher to college dean and school superintendent to be the first African...
offered condolences to the German people.
See also
- Bremen school shootingBremen school shootingThe Bremen school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on June 20, 1913 at St. Mary's Catholic School in Walle, a quarter of Bremen, Germany...
- Cologne school massacreCologne School MassacreThe Cologne school massacre occurred in a Catholic elementary school located at Volkhovener Weg 209 in the suburb of Volkhoven in Cologne, Germany on June 11, 1964. Walter Seifert, born on June 11, 1922, killed eight students and two teachers....
- Eppstein school shootingEppstein school shootingThe Eppstein school shooting was a school shooting that occurred on June 3, 1983, at the Freiherr-vom-Stein Gesamtschule in Eppstein-Vockenhausen, Germany. The gunman, 34-year-old Czech refugee Karel Charva, fatally shot three students, a teacher and a police officer and injured another 14 people...
- Winnenden school shootingWinnenden school shootingThe Winnenden school shooting occurred on the morning of 11 March 2009 at a secondary school in Winnenden, Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany, followed by a shootout at a car dealership in nearby Wendlingen. The shooting spree resulted in 16 deaths, including the suicide of the perpetrator,...
- Emsdetten school shootingEmsdetten school shootingOn 20 November 2006, at about 9:30 AM local time, an 18 year old former student born 29 April 1988 graduate of 2005, entered the Geschwister Scholl School , firing several shots and setting off smoke grenades. He shot the school janitor and four students and wounded a teacher by throwing a smoke...
- Ansbach school attackAnsbach school attackThe Ansbach school attack occurred on 17 September 2009, at the Carolinum Gynmasium in Ansbach, Germany. The attacker Georg R., a 19-year-old man whom the BBC reports as a former student, entered the school that morning armed with petrol bombs and an axe....
External links
- "18 dead in German school shooting" BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
article (April 26, 2002) - "Eighteen killed in German school shooting" The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
article (April 26, 2002) - "How teacher stopped the school slaughter" The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
article (April 28, 2002) - "Schools remember massacre victims" BBC News article (29 April 2002)
- "Killer's secret behind revenge attack" The Guardian article (April 29, 2002)
- "School killer's parents break silence" The Observer article (May 5, 2002)
- "Mourning for victims of German school rampage" CCN article (April 26, 2002)
- "German gun control laws to be tightened" CCN article (April 26, 2002)