Bloody deed in municipal building

Mistaken for burglar: Man shoots neighbor

The men were direct neighbors - the fatal encounter took place early Saturday morning.(Bild: Oliver Papacek, Krone KREATIV)

A fatal mix-up on Saturday night in Vienna's Donaustadt district: a 50-year-old man heard suspicious noises in the early hours of the morning and saw a figure in the stairwell. He then reached for his gun - and shot the supposed burglar. But he was his neighbor ...

According to information from "Krone", the shocking incident took place at around 4 a.m. in the large Josef-Bohmann-Hof municipal building in Vienna. The 50-year-old Austrian had suspected a burglar and then fetched his weapon, a revolver. He possessed it legally.

Tragic mix-up with fatal consequences
Shortly afterwards, he encountered a person in the dark stairwell who he mistook for a burglar. The tragic consequence of the mix-up: the gun owner fired at the "suspicious figure". The man collapsed, fatally shot in the chest. Shortly afterwards, the identity was clear: the victim was his 33-year-old Iranian neighbor. The suspect then informed the police himself. Officers found him in the apartment a short time later.

The fatal shot was fired in the stairwell.(Bild: Oliver Papacek)

The men were direct neighbors - the fatal encounter took place early Saturday morning.(Bild: Oliver Papacek, Krone KREATIV)

The investigation by the State Office of Criminal Investigation is in full swing. The aim is to clarify whether it was negligent bodily harm resulting in death - or murder ...

One thing is already certain: the suspected shooter was heavily intoxicated at the time of the crime. Due to his intoxication, it has not yet been possible to question him. The 50-year-old is in custody.

Already charged with damage to property
The suspected shooter is no longer an unknown quantity: in the past, the 33-year-old had already filed a complaint against the 50-year-old for damage to property, explained police spokeswoman Irina Steirer.