New details after murder

Hunter (56) in Upper Austria ran amok: the search continues

(Bild: Horst Einöder)

After the killing spree in Upper Austria, there is still no trace of the suspect Roland Drexler (56). The man from Mühlviertel is said to have shot two people. The man is still on the run and is believed to have weapons with him. In the meantime, 50 people close to him have been given personal protection. 

The most important facts at a glance: 

• A long-standing dispute between hunters ended in a bloodbath on Monday morning in Upper Austria - two hunters he hated were executed by a man from Mühlviertel (56).
• The first victim was the mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, Franz Hofer. The second victim is said to have been executed at home by the gunman - the house was unlocked. 
• The police are searching for Roland Drexler with a large contingent. The "utmost caution" is required. The suspect is believed to be carrying two long guns and a handgun.
• Many people fear problems with the man, and 50 people have now been given personal protection. They were taken to safety. 
• According to the provincial police directorate, "a kind of hunting ban has been imposed on the Rohrbach area" in order not to disrupt the police investigation.

Here are the most important developments from Tuesday:

Downright executed on the way to the massage
High fog still lay over the municipality of Altenfelden when the act of madness claimed its first victim at around 8.30 a.m. on Monday: local resident Roland Drexler (56) is said to have followed the mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, Franz Hofer, to a massage institute next to the Rohrbach main road. The victim probably recognized the danger and ran into a meadow. Hofer made it about 100 meters, then the head of the village collapsed, fatally shot.

(Bild: Schütz Markus/Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: Markus Schütz, Krone KREATIV)

(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

A woman had heard a shot and called the emergency services. But that wasn't the end of the madness - a short time later, shots rang out in Arnreit, three kilometers away, and Josef H. (64), a retired police officer and popular traffic educator, collapsed dead. Both victims had one thing in common: they were hunting guides.

Dispute among hunters escalated
"He has a death list" - this rumor quickly made the rounds, because the police immediately knew who to look for: Roland Drexler. And he was hunting hunters. Because the background to the rampage were long-standing arguments between the 56-year-old father of three, electrical engineer and passionate huntsman and other hunters. It was about "hunting misconduct", questionable handling of dogs - which he also bred for a while - and whether Drexler would ever get a hunting lease again.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

While the police deployed to the Mühlviertel for the largest operation ever, the hunters alerted each other by text message and on social media: "Anyone who had problems with Roland Drexler, please be very careful and report them to the police immediately!" Because the wanted gunman had "problems with pretty much all hunters in the area", as people in the region reported.

As there were also mutual reports during the long-standing dispute and the responsible authority is the district governor's office, Cobra units also took up position in front of the Rohrbach BH. The district governor and the staff retreated to the second floor. Numerous potential victims from the hunting community, including the district master hunter, were given personal protection, as was the family of the murdered mayor. The ex-wife of the murder suspect, who had moved to the neighboring village, was also considered a possible target - Roland Drexler had a grudge against her because she had sold the house after the divorce.

"If Roli doesn't want him to be found, he won't"
During the day, the fog lifted and, in addition to hundreds of police officers - who also arrived in armored vehicles - two helicopter crews were also on the lookout for the suspect and his grey VW Caddy (license plate RO 231 EL). "If Roli doesn't want to be found, then he won't be," say acquaintances, because the wanted man had already been on several hunting grounds in the Rohrbach district and knows the forests and Danube gorges like no other. "Either he's already dead somewhere, or he's still up to something," people in Altenfelden and Kirchdorf feared a drama like the one in Stiwoll (Styria), where Friedrich Felzmann (52) shot two neighbors seven years ago and has since disappeared - the fear remained that he would reappear and strike again.

Shooter is said to have three weapons with him
The manhunt for Roland D. has been underway for over 24 hours. New findings were finally made on Tuesday morning at a press conference in Upper Austria. The hunter is still considered "very dangerous". He is also said to have three weapons with him. Two long guns and a handgun are suspected to be in his possession. His two dogs were also found at his home. 

Many people had contacted the police since Monday because they feared problems with the murder suspect. In the meantime, 50 people have been given personal protection and taken to safe places. A company car belonging to the 56-year-old was confiscated by the police. In addition, all of D.'s residences were searched. These included his main residence in Altenfelden and several secondary residences. 

Around 250 officers have been deployed since Monday afternoon.