Poacher and gunman: The drama of Annaberg

On September 17, 2013, three police officers and a paramedic died while investigators were searching for a poacher. Shortly after midnight, 55-year-old Alois H. broke through a roadblock in Annaberg (Lilienfeld district) and opened fire. He subsequently killed himself.

While fleeing, the 55-year-old’s car left the road and crashed into a fence. Alois H. then shot into a patrol car, killing a 38-year-old Cobra officer. An approaching emergency vehicle was also targeted by the shooter, and a 70-year-old paramedic was fatally shot.

As he continued to flee on foot, the man encountered a patrol near Lassinghof and fired at the officers sitting in the car. The driver (51) was killed, the poacher pulled the dead man out of the car and threw him onto the street. He also killed the second police officer (44) and drove the body in the patrol car to his property in Großpriel near Melk. He barricaded himself there.

Shots were fired again and again

A large contingent of officers, including dozens of Cobra forces, subsequently surrounded the square courtyard. Three army tanks also arrived and helicopters were requested. Alois H. kept shooting out of the house. It wasn’t until hours later that officers entered the yard. They finally came across the perpetrator’s burned body in a secret room in the basement. The poacher set fire before killing himself with a shot in the head.

Months of investigations were the result. In the secret room, the police discovered an enormous arsenal of weapons, countless hunting trophies and other stolen items. Almost three months after the bloody crime, on December 19th, the seizure of the stolen items was completed: These included 305 firearms, ammunition, 90 deer and around 500 roe deer trophies, as well as 100 other hunting trophies. A total of 108 crimes in several federal states were attributed to Alois H., and the damage was estimated at 9.8 million euros.

“Atypical behavior”

The case was a novelty for the executive branch, said the then General Director of Public Security, Konrad Kogler, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the spectacular criminal case. “Someone stays at the crime scene and consciously seeks this confrontation – several times.” Alois H. has one “atypical behavior” presented on the day. Due to the 55-year-old’s suicide, not all questions could ultimately be answered. One consequence of an evaluation report in connection with the case was the reassessment of the obligation to wear protective vests.

On the first anniversary of the massacre, a 7.5-ton memorial stone was unveiled for the three police officers and the paramedic. It is located at the B20/B28 intersection in Annaberg. The then Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) called at a memorial service “never forget” on. “September 17, 2013 was one of the darkest days in the history of Austrian emergency services”she reminded.

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