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CNN Saturday Morning News

German Town of Erfurt Rocked by School Shooting

Aired April 27, 2002 - 07:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In eastern Germany, a deadly school shooting rampage is leaving the town of Erfurt asking why. Seventeen people, including the gunman, were killed in yesterday's rampage. Police are now looking for a motive.

Our Diana Muriel is live from Erfurt with more. Diana?

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, the police have confirmed this morning that in fact 17 people died in the massacre here at the Johann Gutenberg High School in Erfurt. Amongst them, the 13 school teachers, the 13 members of staff, two people, a police officer who was one for the first people to arrive on the scene, and the gunman himself.

The school secretary was not amongst the fatalities, as earlier reported.

Now, today the police will be removing the bodies from the school. They'll also be interviewing the relatives of the gunman and also students who witnessed the massacre here at the high school.

Today people have been coming to pay their respects to the dead. They've been bringing flowers, cards, and candles. There's even a picture of one of the school teachers on the steps of the school. About 100 people or so behind me now, many of them standing in shock, many of them in tears and comforting each other.

This really has shocked the whole of this very small town in eastern Germany, and indeed the whole country. Flags are flying at half-staff at public buildings, civil buildings, across the nation.

The question on everyone's lips is why? Why did this happen?

I'm joined now by a journalist, Florian Gaghmann, from "Tueringer Algemeiner (ph)," a local newspaper.

You've just come from a press conference given by the state governor. What did -- what was said there?

FLORIAN GAGHMANN, "TUERINGER ALGEMEINER": I think the most interesting information coming out of the press conference is that the authorities are still not ruling out that there has been a second gunman. MURIEL: That's right, there was some confusion yesterday as to whether or not there was one gunman or two. Why do police still think there might be a second gunman?

GAGHMANN: Because on the one hand, it still seems quite impossible that only one person would have been able to kill 17 people, and on the other hand, we have so many witnesses, students in the school, who say that they saw two masked people and two gunmen.

MURIEL: Now, the body of the gunman who's been named as Robert Steinhauser, a 19-year-old former student at the school, he was found with a pump-action shotgun and a pistol by his side. Did he have the right to have those weapons?

GAGHMANN: Yes, he had a license -- he had a gun license because he's -- he was a member of two shooting associations. So in that respect, everything was fine with the guns.

MURIEL: And the shots were all fired from the pistol, am I correct in saying that?

GAGHMANN: That's what we learned in the press conference. Apparently 40 bullets were found, and they were all shot from the pistol.

MURIEL: How difficult is it to get hold of guns here in Germany, in this part of Germany?

GAGHMANN: If you do it like Robert Steinhauser, it would (AUDIO GAP) enter any shooting association, and you pass examinations, and then you can possess and buy guns. The other thing is the illegal possession of guns, which is always a very difficult thing to talk about.

MURIEL: And what are the authorities, and indeed the school authorities, going to do, in terms of security now in the future for this school and others in Germany?

GAGHMANN: Prime Minister Bernard Vogel said very clear that he does not want to make schools into fortresses. So I think after what happened yesterday, there definitely has to be a discussion about security in schools. But no one knows so far what is going to happen.

MURIEL: Florian Gaghmann, thank you very much indeed.

So Kyra, we're still yet to determine whether or not there was indeed a second gunman here at the school, and we'll of course be bringing you updates through the day.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Diana Muriel, thank you very much.

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