5 German police officers charged over fatal shooting of mentally ill Senegal teen

Prosecutors in Germany said Tuesday that five police officers have been charged over the death of a Senegalese teenager who was shot dead last year.

Police had been called to an incident at a foster home in the western city of Dortmund on Aug. 8, 2022, because the 16-year-old refugee had allegedly threatened to harm himself with a knife.

Officers claimed the teen, identified as Mouhamed Dramé, had run toward them with a knife, whereupon they used pepper spray and two tasers before shooting him with an automatic pistol.

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Five German police officers have been charged on account of the shooting death of a Senegal teenager. 

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German news agency dpa reported that the officer who fired the shots was being charged with manslaughter, while his superior officer was being charged with incitement to dangerous bodily harm. Three other officers were charged with dangerous bodily harm, dpa reported.

Public broadcaster WDR quoted Dortmund prosecutors saying they believe the operation was “disproportionate from the start.”

The incident sparked a debate in Germany about police violence against minorities and their handling of cases involving people with mental illness.