Shopper, 50, is jailed for life in Germany for shooting dead a cashier who refused to serve him because he was not wearing a Covid mask
- Mario N. given a life sentence for fatally shooting a young gas station cashier after a dispute over face masks
- The man had a problem with Covid mandates as the restrictions had prevented him from visiting his mother in hospital
- ‘I blame Covid restrictions for my father’s suicide and my mother’s death,’ he said
A 50-year-old German man was jailed for life Tuesday for shooting dead a petrol station cashier because he was angry about being told to wear a mask while buying beer.
The man had a problem with Covid mandates as the restrictions had prevented him from visiting his mother in hospital.
His father shot himself and also tried to kill his wife after he was diagnosed with cancer in early 2020.
The man had a problem with Covid mandates as the restrictions had prevented him from visiting his mother in hospital
His mother was in the hospital for a long time, but she was not allowed to receive visitors because of Covid restrictions.
‘I blame Covid restrictions for my father’s suicide and my mother’s death,’ he said according to the Bild.
He was also not allowed to go to his father’s funeral because of the pandemic.
The September 2021 murder in the western town of Idar-Oberstein shocked Germany, which saw a vocal anti-mask and anti-vaccine movement emerge in response to the government’s coronavirus restrictions.
The suspect was also convicted of illegal weapons possession because he didn’t have a license for the gun used in the killing
The row started when 20-year-old student worker Alex W. asked the man to put on a mask inside the shop, as required in all German stores at the time. After a brief argument, the man left.
The perpetrator – identified only as Mario N. – returned about an hour and a half later, this time wearing a mask. But as he bought his six-pack of beer to the till, he took off his mask and another argument ensued.
He then pulled out a revolver and shot the cashier in the head point-blank.
On Tuesday, the district court in Bad-Kreuznach convicted Mario N. of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm, and handed him a life sentence.
German has relaxed most of its coronavirus rules, although masks are still required in some settings, such as public transport
Authorities have said the man told officers he acted ‘out of anger’ after being refused service by the 20-year-old cashier for not wearing a mask while trying to buy beer at the gas station.
A requirement to wear masks in stores was among the measures in place in Germany at the time to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Under German law, people given a life sentence can usually seek parole after 15 years. His defence team had sought a sentence of manslaughter, rather than murder.
At the start of the trial, prosecutor Nicole Frohn told how Mario N. had felt increasingly angry about the measures imposed to curb the pandemic, seeing them as an infringement on his rights.
‘Since he knew he couldn’t reach the politicians responsible, he decided to kill him,’ she said.
He initially fled the scene but turned himself in to police after a large-scale manhunt was launched.
The suspect was also convicted of illegal weapons possession because he didn’t have a license for the gun used in the killing.
German has relaxed most of its coronavirus rules, although masks are still required in some settings, such as public transport.
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