Germany: Police shooting suspects were 'poachers'

German prosecutors said Tuesday that they believe the men suspected of killing two police officers during a routine traffic check were trying to escape being found out for illegal poaching.

The two suspects, aged 38 and 32, were ordered to be placed in pretrial detention on an arrest warrant for joint homicide. 

Prosecutor Stefan Orthen told a press conference in the western city of Kaiserslautern that the men were poachers carrying a large amount of wild game in the back of a van. He said they appeared to have opened fire on the officers "to conceal the poaching."

Prosecutors said the men were considered to be flight risks and would therefore remain in custody pending a possible indictment. 

What do we know about the killings?

At about 4:30 a.m. Monday, two police officers were shot dead during a traffic stop in the rural Kusel district in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Frankfurt. The victims were a 24-year-old policewoman completing her traineeship and her 29-year-old male colleague. 

The two officers had radioed that they had found "dubious people'' on their patrol and "the whole trunk was full of wild animals,'' police official Heiner Schmolzi said.

Prosecutors said  the men fired their weapons at the officers during the incident. One of the officers was able to transmit an emergency call, "They're shooting, they're shooting." 

Investigators confirmed that both officers had been shot in the head. The female officer died from a single shot, and her male colleague was shot four times. The male officer was able to fire his weapon 14 times, but without hitting the shooters. Bullet holes were found in the suspects' vehicle.

A state-issued ID belonging to the 38-year-old suspect was found near the body of one of the police officers. A manhunt ensued, with investigators searching residences and vehicles. 

They were able to trace the ID to an address in the small town of Sulzbach, where both suspects were arrested Monday evening. Police said earlier media reports that the 38-year-old had turned himself in via a lawyer were false. 

Sulzbach is located in the neighboring state of Saarland, about 35 kilometers from the scene of the shooting.

Hunting weapons used to kill police 

Police said an investigation of different apartments in Saarland uncovered a large amount of weapons, including what they strongly suspect are the shotgun and a single-shot hunting rifle involved in the shootings. An investigation into how the weapons were acquired is pending. 

Police said the characteristics of the weapons and how the incident took place indicate that two people fired at the officers. The 32-year-old suspect denied having fired any shots, the state prosecutor said.

Investigators are working to determine if anyone else was involved, but added that there is no indication that either suspect had terrorist or political motives. 

The German Hunting Association says the 38-year-old was not in possession of a valid hunting license, according to the DPA news agency. It reported that authorities in Saarland had rejected his application to obtain a licence. 

"Our idea of ​​Germany does not include someone opening fire on the street with hunting weapons just because they might be caught poaching," Kaiserslautern public prosecutor Udo Gehring said. "That's what makes this case disturbing," he added.

Edited by: Natalie Muller