MAINZ, Germany — A suspect who opened fire in a suburban Munich train station after grabbing a police officer's gun lived in the U.S. until recently, officials said Wednesday.
The 37-year-old severely wounded an officer and two bystanders were struck by bullets in the ensuing firefight.
Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters that the gunman was a German national who had been residing in America with his father. He has a criminal record in the U.S.
According to Andrae, the suspect had arrived in Munich on a plane from the Greek city of Athens on Monday. He spent the night at Munich airport before traveling into the city on Tuesday morning.
During the train journey, police said the suspect approached a fellow passenger and punched him into the face.
The victim and the man got off the train at the Unterfoehring station and were met by police.
As another suburban train was approaching, the suspect attacked one of the officers “with great force” and “managed to grab the male officer’s gun.”
He used the weapon to shoot at the officer and his colleague, officials said.
A 26-year old police officer was shot in the head and was taken to a local hospital, where she remained in critical condition on Wednesday.
The suspect's father has been interrogated by police in the U.S., Andrae said.
The investigation is ongoing.
