Victim alive, perpetrator dead

Man in pool of blood was victim of gunshot attack

A large contingent of police rushed to the scene of the crime in Amstetten at the beginning of December (symbolic image)

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

After an 84-year-old man was found in a pool of blood in Amstetten at the beginning of December last year, the investigation was in full swing. It is now clear that the pensioner was shot by a 60-year-old man.  

The mystery surrounding an 84-year-old man who was found with a serious head wound in Amstetten on December 10 last year seems to have been solved: After it was unclear for a long time whether the injury was a gunshot wound, it is now clear that the pensioner was shot in the open street, apparently by accident, by a stranger with a rifle. A 60-year-old man is said to have fired the gun from his window in the housing estate. The 84-year-old suffered a graze shot and collapsed on the sidewalk, bleeding. 

Leopold Bien from the St. Pölten public prosecutor's office confirmed the attempted murder and explained: "The injuries could also have been caused by a fall. The motive for the crime is said to have been psychological problems. The shooter is said to have committed suicide in his apartment days later. According to the "Kurier", further weapons were seized in his apartment. 

Proceedings for attempted murder
What came to light in the course of the investigation: The victim and the perpetrator are not said to have been in conflict, as the public prosecutor explains. In addition, the perpetrator had possessed the weapon legally. The case is now closed: The preliminary proceedings have been discontinued due to the death of the shooter. The 84-year-old has since recovered from the dastardly shooting attack.