Image: Scharinger
Courageous witnesses probably prevented worse things from happening in the Innviertel on Sunday evening: It was around 11 p.m. when a family dispute got completely out of hand in the center of the 2,000-strong community of Riedau in the Schärding district and a man attacked his brother-in-law with a cleaver. What exactly happened?
A 38-year-old Turk had ambushed his brother-in-law, who was a year younger, late in the evening in the town center on the side of the road. As the 37-year-old drove past, he threw a beer bottle at the car to stop it. A fight broke out between the two men, which culminated in the older man pulling out a cleaver he had brought with him and trying to hit his brother-in-law with it.
Passers-by rushed to help
The victim’s passenger and four passers-by rushed to help and were able to prevent worse. They pinned the attacker’s arm and snatched the gun from him. The 38-year-old threatened his brother-in-law that he would still kill his wife and all his children.
While the victim rushed home, the accused also fled with the cleaver. He told the witnesses that they shouldn’t have intervened, he came there specifically to kill his brother-in-law.
Hit his wife with a bar stool
At the same time, the perpetrator’s 36-year-old wife called the police via emergency call: There had been a dispute between her and her husband in the shared apartment, and her husband had hit her with a metal bar stool.
Around midnight, the police found the suspect not far from his home and arrested him. He carried the murder weapon hidden in his waistband. The alcohol test showed 1.74 per thousand.
years of abuse
Investigations revealed that the 38-year-old had injured his wife in countless attacks with fists, sticks and pieces of furniture for ten years – so badly that the 36-year-old had to be treated several times in hospital for serious injuries. Because she was intimidated by her husband, she never filed a complaint, police said.
Detention imposed
According to the police, the 38-year-old refused to testify in his first interrogation. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he should later said he didn’t want to kill anyone. He didn’t know anything about a gun. There was only an argument with the brother-in-law, he said. He also softened the abuse of his wife.
He was taken to the Ried im Innkreis prison and is being reported for several crimes, including suspicion of attempted murder. On Wednesday, the detention was imposed on him.
Localization: The market town of Riedau is located in the district of Schärding
Source: Nachrichten
