Germany — One of a pair of suspects in the fatal shooting of two German police officers near the U.S Army installation at Baumholder in January was released from jail this week and is no longer accused of pulling the trigger The district court of Kaiserslautern rescinded the arrest warrant against a 32-year-old identified only as Florian V. lead prosecutor Udo Gherig announced Wednesday Investigators concluded that Florian V.’s suspected accomplice Schmitt is charged with murder and commercial poaching and police special forces arrested both men the same evening poaching and attempted evasion of criminal prosecution His lawyers had appealed his ongoing detention and prosecutors no longer deem him a flight risk He reportedly told investigators that during the shooting Schmitt continues to exercise his right to remain silent Police initially believed that a single shooter could not have used two weapons to fire five shots including three from a shotgun that had to be unfolded and reloaded after each shot The female officer was killed by a round from the shotgun Her colleague fired at least 14 shots in self-defense after being hit by a shotgun round but was killed by bullets subsequently fired from a hunting rifle according to the Kaiserslautern prosecutor’s office Rheinland-Pfalz police investigations into the shooting included autopsies of the slain officers as well as forensic investigations of the weapons and bullet impact sites Only Schmitt’s DNA was found on the weapons used at the crime scene Schmitt alone had the shooting experience needed to supply so much rapid firepower including a double-barreled shotgun and a Winchester Bergara .308-caliber hunting rifle in their possession On Schmitt’s property in Spiesen-Elversberg Schmitt does not have a valid license for those weapons An unidentified third person who is the legal owner of the weapons found on Schmitt’s property remains a subject of the investigation according to a statement by the Kaiserslautern public prosecutor’s office Schmitt remains in jail pending the conclusion of investigations  He is slated to stand trial first in Saarbruecken on April 25 on fraud and other finance-related charges which are unrelated to the killing of the police officers pending the investigation into the shooting death of the two police officers Schmitt is also accused of commercial poaching operations admitted he was helping with the hunt on the night of the crime Police found 22 illegally killed animals in Schmitt’s transport truck and more in a storage facility owned by Schmitt Shooting took place during traffic check near Kusel in early hours of Monday Police in western Germany have arrested two men suspected of being involved in the killing of two police officers who were shot dead on a rural road while on a routine patrol The shooting happened during a traffic check near Kusel at about 4.20am on Monday The officers were able to radio that shots were being fired telling colleagues “they are shooting at us,” a spokesperson But reinforcements were unable to save the officers Erfort said he did not know whether the officers had seen something particular about the assailants’ vehicle that they wanted to check or whether it was a routine stop Both officers were wearing police uniforms and protective vests The officers reported finding dead game in the car before the shooting started Police officers secure the rural road where the fatal shooting took place Photograph: Ronald Wittek/EPAThe younger officer who was still studying at a police academy was reportedly dead by the time reinforcements arrived The female officer was still carrying her gun in its holster when she was found The male officer had managed to fire several shots before he was killed The perpetrators fled but police had no description of them the car they used or in which direction they had gone On Monday afternoon police released a picture of a suspect who runs a bakery and a business selling wild game in the town of Spiesen-Elversberg Investigators had reportedly found documents identifying the suspect at the scene of the crime the state prosecutor in Kaiserslautern announced the arrest of the previously identified suspect as well as the arrest of another 32-year-old individual Police were continuing to look for others possibly involved in the killing Schmitt owned a gun licence but was not previously known by the authorities for extremist tendencies The shooting of the two police officers has been met with shock around the country said the circumstances of the killing reminded her of “an execution” “Irrespective of what the motive behind this deed is this deed bears the hallmarks of an execution and shows that police officers risk their lives for our safety every day.” They also have opened a negligent homicide investigation into the suspect’s wife who was the registered owner of both firearms prosecutors say were used in the killing Spiesen-Elversberg resident Andreas Johannes Schmitt is accused of singlehandedly killing the officers during a traffic stop near the U.S Army installation in Baumholder during the early morning hours of Jan 31 to avoid arrest on suspicion of poaching investigators believed that Schmitt killed a 24-year-old female police trainee with a shotgun blast from close range as she was asking him for his license and registration Kaiserslautern chief prosecutor Udo Gehring said in a statement issued Tuesday they now say the evidence indicates that she was gravely injured by the first shot yet still alive when she fell to the ground Schmitt immediately fired his shotgun at her colleague near the patrol car The 29-year-old returned fire with his service pistol but missed firing three shots from his hunting rifle before finally killing the officer with a shot to the head Schmitt then searched the female officer for notes or other evidence that could lead back to him he again grabbed his shotgun and fired a fatal shot to the head Schmitt did not have any weapons registered in his name Having lost both his hunting license and his gun permit Schmitt sold his shotgun to a private owner who then resold it to Schmitt’s wife to skirt German limitations on firearms sales His wife later legally purchased the hunting rifle under her own name Prosecutors say it was her responsibility to prevent him from accessing and using the weapons Investigators think Schmitt’s motive was a desire to conceal his prolific poaching which they said likely provided the bulk of his current income “The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of having killed the police officers out of greed in order to be able to continue this illegal occupation,” Gehring wrote both covering up a killing and personal greed are recognized motives for murder Schmitt faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole Prosecutors are also pressing ahead with their case against Schmitt’s alleged accomplice a 33-year-old identified only as Florian V. who was with Schmitt when their vehicle was pulled over While DNA evidence previously cleared Florian V he is charged with poaching and obstruction of justice “My client has been been making extensive statements and has assisted investigators during two comprehensive interrogations as well as crime scene reconstructions,” Christian Kessler “Based on the available information and evidence we expect that the court will not issue a significant sentence against my client.” was released from custody in March after prosecutors assessed him to be a low flight risk Schmitt remains in detention and has not made public comment A psychiatric exam showed that both men are capable of standing trial making an insanity plea unlikely for either defendant Schmitt is also awaiting trial in Saarbruecken district court on unrelated embezzlement and fraud charges involving previous business ventures The trial date in Kaiserslautern has not yet been announced Germany — One of the men accused of gunning down two German police officers Monday during a routine traffic patrol near the U.S Army installation in Baumholder has had numerous brushes with the law a 32-year-old identified only as Florian V. Law enforcement officials said Tuesday that the pair shot the officers at about 4:20 a.m on a road near Kusel to evade arrest on suspicion of poaching said his client had told police that Schmitt alone was responsible for the officers’ killings according to an interview with the German news magazine Focus Online “The investigations so far have not refuted his statements that he did not shoot,” Kessler said said Tuesday that the state assumes that both men fired a weapon and that they are a significant flight risk A magistrate judge denied Florian V.’s request for release local hunters and German news outlets have painted Schmitt as a prolific poacher Police investigators found frozen meat in storage belonging to Schmitt and sale records at his home that showed revenue of 40,000 euros between September and January the president of the Rheinland-Pfalz Hunting Association sent out a WhatsApp voice message Monday saying that Schmitt hunts with military equipment the newspaper Die Rheinpfalz reported Wednesday Schmitt continued his illicit hunting in the woodland region between Kaiserslautern and the French border using night vision and targeting sights technology that is outlawed for hunters in Germany Schmitt fired his shotgun and injured a fellow hunter in the chest the state prosecutor’s office in Saarbruecken told Stars and Stripes on Thursday Schmitt did not receive a jail sentence but paid the injured hunter 5,000 euro in compensation and was sentenced to a 4,500 euro fine for negligence in 2006 The sentence will not be used in the current case as it is no longer part of Schmitt’s criminal record Schmitt also was awaiting trial in Saarbruecken district court on charges that he embezzled government-mandated health insurance contributions of 100,000 euros he was accused of staging a robbery in 2019 at a bakery he owned in an attempt to defraud his insurance company of 50,000 euros Schmitt denied the accusations at the time The charges were combined with the fraud charges and are pending The shooting Monday on the K22 triggered a major manhunt German police special forces arrested the men at about 5 p.m The area of the shooting is known for its animal traffic wild sheep and boar find refuge on the nearby military training areas of Baumholder had been fined for lesser offenses ranging from traffic violations to wire fraud The double homicide in Rheinland-Pfalz sent shockwaves throughout the country “It is not part of our idea of Germany that somebody starts shooting with hunting weapons in the open road just because they were suspected of poaching,” Kaiserslautern lead prosecutor Udo Gherig told reporters Tuesday personnel and family members at Ramstein Air Base and several Army installations Rheinland-Pfalz police will hold a statewide moment of silence at 10 a.m a 24-year-old police academy trainee and her 29-year-old colleague Germany — Two men suspected in the shooting and killing of two police officers Monday during a routine patrol about 12 miles from the U.S Army base in Baumholder have been arrested The shooting happened during a traffic check on the K22 between Ulmet and Mayweilerhof police from West Palatinate headquarters in Kaiserslautern said The officers who died were a 24-year-old woman who was still completing her academy training about 40 miles from the scene of the shootings in southwestern Germany A photo released by police showed Schmitt with brown hair and a beard Schmitt has a gun license and was previously suspected of leaving the scene of an accident He will appear before a district court judge in Kaiserslautern Police also arrested an unidentified 32-year-old man as a suspect An investigation into whether more people were connected to the shooting is ongoing tracking dogs and special police forces were part of a search Monday that spanned from Rheinland-Pfalz to the state of Saarland The two officers reported over police radio that shots were being fired police spokesman Bernhard Christian Erfort told n-tv television Police responding to the scene were unable to help the fallen officers Erfort said he didn't know whether the officers had seen something particular that led them to check the assailants’ vehicle police called on drivers in the Kusel area not to pick up hitchhikers Kusel is a town of about 5,500 people 25 miles northwest of Kaiserslautern The larger Kusel district is also home to Americans who work at U.S which include several Army installations and Ramstein Air Base and residents gave mixed accounts of what they heard Gunfire is relatively common because of the nearby military training area Kusel district hunting manager Bernd Klinck said West Palatinate police are asking anyone with information to call 0631-369-2528.