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CrimeGermany

Germany: Migrant dies in Mülheim after police scuffle

January 7, 2024

Police said the Guinean man attacked security staff at an asylum seekers' reception center. He was tasered twice before being overpowered, only to lose consciousness. The man later died in hospital.

The police are standing in front of a refugee centre.
An investigation is underway after a migrant died in western Germany after allegedly attacking police officersImage: Justin Brosch/dpa/picture alliance

A 26-year-old man from Guinea has died during a police operation at an asylum seekers' reception center in Mülheim in western Germany.

The Bochum police said Sunday they were investigating the circumstances leading to the man's death. They took over the investigation from police in neighboring Mülheim.

What do we know about the incident?

Security services at the center alerted police on Saturday evening, saying that the man had gone on a rampage and attacked staff.

When officers located the man in his room, they say he assaulted them too.

As the man resisted them, the police officers used a Taser twice but say they noticed no discernible impact on the man. 

The incident continued, moving through the center and into an interior courtyard.

The man was eventually overpowered and arrested, police said. Two male officers were bitten during the incident and a female officer was kicked in the head. Ambulances were called to treat both the migrant and the officers.

Inside the ambulance, police said the man lost consciousness while receiving treatment. He was then taken to hospital, where he died.

The officers involved in the incident were receiving counselling, police said.

The Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary group in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia has called upon the western state's Interior Ministry to issue an operational report on the incident, and update the state parliament with its findings.

rmt/lo (dpa, EPD)