After shooting in Linz

The judiciary keeps photo of suspect “secret”

The bloody incident in the Neue Heimat caused quite a stir. The perpetrator shot the BMW driver in the shoulder after a brief exchange of words. A manhunt is underway for him.(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI/WERNER KERSCHBAUMM, Krone KREATIV)

Shots fired in the street, but still no trace of the perpetrator. Three weeks after the attempted murder in the Neue Heimat district of Linz, there is a well-founded suspicion, but the investigation is proceeding rather bumpily.

The wild scenes in the Neue Heimat district of Linz took place on January 14: an unknown man shot a 38-year-old Chechen man through the side door while he was sitting in a BMW X5 with Czech license plates. The victim survived and was taken to hospital - the "Krone" reported.

Still on the run
Almost three weeks later, the shooter is still on the run. The perpetrator is described as slim, between 50 and 60 years old, around 1.75 meters tall and bald. There is even a photo of the suspect taken from a customer card. However, the fact that this picture is run through a computer system, as in American TV crime dramas, and the perpetrator identified immediately, does not work in reality. The suspect's face would only appear in the domestic criminal database if the perpetrator was already known to the authorities.

Matching is difficult
"And a comparison with foreign authorities is difficult, among other things because of data protection," says the Linz public prosecutor's office. Nevertheless, there is no public appeal for a manhunt: "For reasons of criminal tactics, the suspect's photo will not be published", is how the public prosecutor's office explains its approach. The prosecution is officially investigating the case for attempted murder. It is suspected that the 38-year-old victim, a father of five, was supposed to collect money owed to him by the perpetrator from the drug scene - the shots were fired during this attempt.

Victim is well again
Meanwhile, there is good news from Kepler University Hospital: the Chechen man who was shot - he had been wounded in the shoulder area - has now been discharged from hospital.