All police officers charged in Germany in connection with the death of knife-wielding Senegalese teenager, Mouhamed Dramé, in a police operation in August 2022 have been acquitted by the Dortmund regional court.
On Thursday, the court ruled that the 31-year-old officer who fatally shot the 16-year-old migrant was acting in self-defense and did not commit a crime.
Presiding Judge Thomas Kelm stated that the officer’s actions were justified under the circumstances. “The shooter believed he was in a self-defense situation,” the judge said.
The service group leader, initially accused of negligent homicide, was also acquitted. The court rejected the prosecution’s claim that the leader’s order to use pepper spray had provoked the tragic events. Instead, it concluded that the decision to intervene was justified to prevent the teen from harming himself or others.
The prosecutor, who had earlier sought convictions for grievous bodily harm for some officers, reversed course during the trial and called for acquittals for nearly all defendants, arguing the situation required split-second decisions that were made under duress. The public prosecutor’s office did, however, insist on a ten-month suspended sentence for the 56-year-old service group leader accused of negligent homicide — a demand thrown out by the court.
The incident unfolded on Aug. 8, 2022, when police responded to reports of a young man armed with a knife on church property. Mouhamed D., a refugee from Senegal, allegedly threatened to stab himself when officers arrived. Attempts to de-escalate the situation through dialogue failed, leading the service group leader to order the use of pepper spray. However, instead of disarming, the migrant teen reportedly ran toward officers with the knife. Tasers were deployed but failed to stop him, prompting one officer to fire six shots with a submachine gun. The teenager was pronounced dead shortly after.
The case ignited significant public and political debate. In the courtroom, chants of “Justice for Mohamed” and “That was murder!” erupted after the verdict was announced. Outside the court, the decision was met with condemnation from various left-wing groups and individuals.
Bundestag member Martina Renner of the Left Party described the ruling as a “scandal judgment” on social media. The verdict also drew criticism from local politicians, with members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens questioning the proportionality of the police response.
“In view of the great numerical superiority, was there really no other and milder way to avert the danger?” asked SPD lawmakers from Dortmund in a joint statement. Green Party representatives expressed their shock and offered condolences, highlighting broader concerns about racism and trust between police and migrant communities.
