Jealousy Likely Motive for Fatal Shooting in Traiskirchen
Jealousy is believed to be the motive for the bloodshed committed by an inmate during a leave on Sunday in Traiskirchen (Baden district). According to police, the 66-year-old shot a 55-year-old man and his girlfriend with a shotgun. The 25-year-old woman is the ex-partner of the shooter and is in intensive care. The 66-year-old committed suicide after the act, and his body was discovered in a vineyard in Tribuswinkel.
Bloodshed in Traiskirchen: Motive was apparently jealousy
Emergency calls reported gunshots in the industrial area of Traiskirchen shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Any help came too late for the 55-year-old snack stand owner. The 25-year-old, who works at the establishment, suffered severe injuries. She was flown by emergency medical helicopter to a hospital in Vienna and is, according to a police statement on Monday, out of danger. The woman has already been questioned and, according to police spokesman Johann Baumschlager, provided information about the perpetrator and his social media posts. The 66-year-old had posted entries with "cryptic content" on his Facebook profile, said Baumschlager. In retrospect, these posts could be understood as an announcement of a planned act, as reported by several media outlets.
At 10:12 a.m., passersby discovered the body of the 66-year-old about three kilometers from the crime scene, with a shotgun lying next to him. The man - like the two victims, an Austrian citizen - was, according to the authorities, a previously convicted inmate for violent crimes, who was on leave from the Wiener Neustadt correctional facility at the time of the crime. The former brothel owner had a decades-long criminal history. His prison sentence was supposed to end this December, according to the Ministry of Justice. He was on an approved leave as part of the release process, and the exact circumstances are being examined. According to current investigations, the inmate is believed to have shot out of jealousy, as he was in a relationship with the female victim some time ago, according to the statement.
Weapon ban against shooter existed since 1985
A weapon ban was issued against the 66-year-old in February 1985, which remained in effect until recently. "Initial investigative approaches" exist regarding how the man obtained the shotgun, said Baumschlager in response to an APA inquiry, without providing details.
The Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office (Investigation Division Body/Life) is conducting the investigations. The crime scene group secured evidence. On Sunday, a house search was conducted at the residential address in the Baden district where the 66-year-old had lived before his imprisonment. Investigations, as well as further interrogations and evidence comparisons as part of the crime scene processing, are ongoing, it was stated.
Support services for people with suicidal thoughts and their relatives are offered by the suicide prevention portal of the Ministry of Health. Contact details of support facilities in Austria can be found at www.suizid-praevention.gv.at. Information for young people is available at www.bittelebe.at
(APA/Red)
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