Police operation in Düsseldorf: Armed man injured, shots fired!

Police operation in Düsseldorf: Armed man injured, shots fired!

A dramatic incident occurred today in downtown Düsseldorf when police shot an armed man. Loud Cologne City Gazette The man waved a weapon in front of a fast food restaurant and refused to put it down despite repeated requests from the officers. The uncertainty as to whether the firearm was real or fake added to the tense situation. Finally the police pulled the trigger and hit the man. He was then treated by an emergency doctor and taken to a hospital; Details about the gunshot wounds remain unclear.

The incident quickly prompted action, with police cordoning off a large area of ​​surrounding streets. The operation once again shows how delicate and dangerous such situations are for the emergency services.

Another incident in NRW

There is another alarming incident from the region in the context of police operations with mentally disturbed people. On June 21, 2025, a 30-year-old Syrian citizen attacked the police in Steinhagen with a knife after he was in a psychological state of emergency. The officers were initially alerted around 4 p.m. because there had been an argument in his family. When first contacted, the man resisted vehemently and attacked the police officers with his fists before resorting to a weapon. Despite the use of a Taser, which had no effect, he retreated into a house.

The situation escalated when SWAT officers arrived at around 8:35 p.m. Firearms were also used here after the attacker attacked the officers again with a knife. The mission ended in life-threatening danger for the man; he was injured and stabilized after emergency surgery. The Bielefeld homicide squad is investigating the incident, with the public prosecutor's office also examining the police operation itself WAZ reported.

Psyche and police operations

At a time when the police are increasingly confronted with mentally ill people, the question arises as to how well they are prepared for such exceptional situations. Statistics show that since 2019, police officers in Germany have shot and killed 37 people in mental health crises. This raises serious questions about the training and development of officers. Experts of the daily news are calling for comprehensive, better preparation for civil servants, although there has been a lack of financial resources and staff in recent years.

The facts are alarming: almost half of all people shot by police were in a mental health crisis, and there is no consistent standard for dealing with such situations. Only three federal states offer mandatory training, which shows the discrepancy between the needs and the actual training.

The increasing number of such incidents clearly shows that both the public and the police need to think about how to properly deal with mentally ill people. These operations are not only a challenge for law enforcement officers, but also for the entire social system.