Officers found the body of a man suspected of shooting two people, including the mayor of Arnreit, in a forest in Upper Austria. The police manhunt lasted almost a week. Everything indicates that the man committed suicide.
The body was found on Saturday afternoon by officers of the Rapid Reaction Group from Upper Austria (SIG). The deputy police chief of Upper Austria, Rudolf Keplinger, confirmed that it was Roland Drexler, who had been wanted for almost a week and who on Monday – as it is suspected – killed the mayor of Altenfelden and the former director of hunting in neighboring Arnreit.
The identity of the deceased was confirmed based on fingerprints. An autopsy will also be performed, which will finally confirm whether the wanted person actually took his own life.
Over 250 officers participated in the raid
The manhunt for Drexler had been going on since Monday, when, probably as a result of a private dispute, he shot two people and then the armed man fled into the nearby forest in his own car. On Friday, near the crime scene, officers found a vehicle belonging to the alleged perpetrator.
More than 250 police officers took part in the raid. Law enforcement authorities received nearly 400 pieces of information about the perpetrator provided by residents of the areas where the tragedy occurred.
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Main photo source: MATTHIAS LAUBER/AFP/East News