The Emsdetten school shooting was a

school shooting A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple c ...

that occurred at the Geschwister Scholl-Schule in

Emsdetten Emsdetten (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Detten'') is a town in the Steinfurt (district), district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Emsdetten is situated on the river Ems (river), Ems, approx. south-east of Rhe ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on 20 November 2006. Eighteen-year-old former student Sebastian Bosse shot and wounded five people and set off several

smoke bombs A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition. History Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13t ...

before committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. Even though there were no fatalities besides that of the gunman, the shooting was at one point considered to be the worst

in the history of Germany since the

Erfurt massacre The Erfurt massacre was a school shooting that occurred on 26 April 2002 at the Gutenberg-Gymnasium, a secondary school in Erfurt, Germany. 19-year-old expelled student Robert Steinhäuser shot and killed 16 people, including 13 staff members, ...

, in which 17 people, including the perpetrator, were killed. This position is now held by the 2009 Winnenden school shooting, which left 16 people dead, including the perpetrator.

Details

The shooting

On 20 November 2006, at approximately 9:20 a.m. local time, Bosse drove to the Geschwister Scholl-Schule and strode into the schoolyard with his weapons, wearing a long black

trench coat A trench coat or trenchcoat is a variety of coat made of waterproof heavy-duty fabric, originally developed for British Army officers before the First World War, and becoming popular while used in the trenches. Originally made from gabardine, ...

and a black

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...

."German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref> On the way, he started firing randomly and wounded the school janitor, who was seriously injured by a shot in the stomach. A female teacher who was following the janitor was also injured when Bosse threw a smoke bomb, which hit her in the face. Around ten minutes after the shooting started, police were informed of the incident. Bosse entered the school building, firing several more shots and wounding four students. He also lit several smoke bombs, filling the building up with smoke. At 9:34 a.m., police arrived, but found entry into the school extremely difficult. At 9:58 a.m., a special task force finally breached the school and searched the building, discovering the body of Bosse on the second floor at 10:36 a.m., 38 minutes after entry. Bosse had shot himself in the mouth, although it was initially unclear if he had shot himself or was killed by the detonation of an explosive device that was attached to his body. Explosive experts had to be brought in to defuse the explosives found strapped to his body, as well as additional explosives found around the school.
/ref>

Victims

Bosse was the only fatality in the shooting, while a total of 22 people were injured. Four students (three boys and one girl aged between 12 and 16 years) and the school janitor all suffered gunshot wounds, which were aimed towards the chest, stomach, arm, knee, and hand. A pregnant female teacher
/ref> also suffered facial injuries when she was hit by a thrown smoke bomb. In addition, 16 police officers had to be treated for respiratory problems due to

smoke inhalation Smoke inhalation is the breathing in of harmful fumes (produced as by-products of combusting substances) through the respiratory tract. This can cause smoke inhalation injury (subtype of acute inhalation injury) which is damage to the respirator ...

, while 15 students suffered from shock."Ex-Pupil Wounds 11 in German School Shooting: 'I Loathe People'"
/ref>

Weapons

During the attack, Bosse was armed with a Burgo

.22 caliber .22 caliber, or 5.6 mm caliber, refers to a common firearms bore diameter of 0.22 inch (5.6 mm). Cartridges in this caliber include the very widely used .22 Long Rifle and .223 Remington / 5.56×45mm NATO. .22 inch is also a popular ...

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-action ...

air rifle An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chem ...

, an Ardesa

percussion rifle The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise t ...

, a

pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

, and an Ardesa "Patriot"

caplock The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise t ...

pistol."German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref> The barrels and stocks of the two rifles were sawed off. In addition, three

smoke bomb A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition. History Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13th ...

s and a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

were found on Bosse's body, ten additional smoke bombs and an

incendiary bomb Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...

in his backpack, and four

pipe bomb A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device which uses a tightly sealed section of pipe (material), pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple Explosive material#Low explosives, low explosi ...

s planted around the school."German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref>
/ref> A search in his car recovered four more smoke bombs, three incendiary bombs, and a

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

. A search in his parents' house recovered a gas gun, an airsoft weapon, an

, and various chemicals. Bosse purchased the percussion rifle from an online weapons dealer. The dealer confirmed that Bosse had participated in three online auctions during the two months prior to the attack; all three auctions sold weapons. However, the auctions only sold weapons to people aged over 18 years. Attorney Wolfgang Schweer confirmed to the WDR that no investigation was launched against the auctions. The bolt-action rifle that Bosse was armed with during the attack had been purchased by him from a 24-year-old male relative in exchange for an airsoft gun; the man was not aware of Bosse's true intent.

Perpetrator

Sebastian Bosse"German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref> (29 April 1988 – 20 November 2006) had graduated from the Geschwister Scholl-Schule in 2006. He was generally known by others as "Bastian".
/ref> According to the public prosecutor's office, the motive for the attack was "general life frustration". While attending the school, he had social problems with classmates and was forced to repeat two classes.Spiegel online, 20. November 200

/ref> He was also known by others to listen to

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

music, wearing all-black or camouflage clothing and having an affinity for firearms. He reportedly went on hunting trips with his father, a postman."German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref> It was stated from his diary, police investigations and statements from his classmates that he was bullied. An investigation later found a suicide note written by him, which stated that he wanted to "be happy ever again" and that he couldn't stand everyday restrictions on his freedom. The note said:

Ich habe in den 18 Jahren meines Lebens erfahren müssen, das man nur Glücklich werden kann, wenn man sich der Masse fügt, der Gesellschaft anpasst. Aber das konnte und wollte ich nicht. Ich bin frei! Niemand darf in mein Leben eingreifen, und tut er es doch hat er die Konsequenzen zu tragen! Kein Politiker hat das Recht Gesetze zu erlassen, die mir Dinge verbieten. Kein Bulle hat das Recht mir meine Waffe wegzunehmen, schon gar nicht während er seine am Gürtel trägt.

I had to learn in the 18 years of my life, that one can only be happy when you blend in and adapt to society. But I couldn't and I did not want to. I am free! No person shall engage in my life and if he does, he has to face the consequences! No politician has the right to make laws that prohibit me things. No cop has the right to take away my gun and certainly not while he's wearing one at his belt.

It also said:

Ich hasse euch und eure Art! Ihr müsst alle sterben! Seit meinem 6. Lebensjahr wurde ich von euch allen verarscht! Nun müsst ihr dafür bezahlen! .. Als letztes möchte ich den Menschen die mir was bedeuten, oder die jemals gut zu mir waren, danken, und mich für all dies Entschuldigen! Ich bin weg...

I hate you and the way you are! You all have to die! Since I was 6, you've all been taking the piss out of me! Now you're going to pay! ..Finally, I want to apologise for all this to the people who mean something to me or who were ever good to me! I'm gone ...

Two-and-a-half years prior to the attack, Bosse had announced his intents on an Internet forum and asked for psychological help. He also posted pictures and videos from a site called ''Airsoftspielen'', as well as bomb-making videos on a personal website. Additional photos on the website showed Bosse with a variety of weapons, including a

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

, in public. On Sunday evening before the attack, Bosse posted four videos on his website, in which he and another person operated with weapons and explosives.Spiegel online, 20. November 200
Video-Vermächtnis mit Waffe, Mantel, Kampfstiefeln
/ref>
/ref> The site was closed immediately after the attack by the North Rhine-Westphalia police, but its contents were copied in response to the closing and was placed on a number of other websites. Bosse had planned the attack extensively, according to contents of his diary. The Rheine district court revealed that Bosse had gone into an open-air event with a gas gun in his possession. He had been drinking alcoholic beverages at the time. Police were alerted to the incident and seized his gas gun. Although Bosse had an insufficient gun license, this didn't bar him from holding such weapons at public events. It was also reported that he was due in court prior to the shooting, on charges of illegal possession of a

Walther P38 The Walther P38 (originally written Walther P.38) is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that was developed by Carl Walther GmbH as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, ...

pistol."German School Shooting: Armed to the Teeth and Crying for Help"
/ref> Shortly before the attack, Bosse had left an Internet posting and a video message from his parents' living room. He had stated that he hated people and was taught to be a "loser" at his school. He also left a

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message left behind by a person who dies or intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depe ...

on his website, which has since been deleted.

Aftermath

The event caused renewed demands for a prohibition of

violent video games Since their inception in the 1970s, video games have often been criticized by some for violent content. Politicians, parents, and other activists have claimed that violence in video games can be tied to violent behavior, particularly in children, ...

(called ''Killerspiele'', "killing games" by German media and politicians) in Germany, since police determined that Bosse "spent most of his waking hours" playing ''

Counter-Strike ''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games in which teams of terrorists battle to perpetrate an act of terror (bombing, hostage-taking, assassination) while counter-terrorists try to preven ...

''. Starting in mid-2008, computer games were released with a much larger

USK Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

rating label, complying with a change made to Article 12 of the JuSchG. The labels themselves were subsequently re-designed in 2009 following heavy criticism from customers.

References

External links

Mirror of Bosse's websiteBosse's blog at livejournalBosse's diary
{{coord missing, North Rhine-Westphalia 2006 crimes in Germany 2000s in North Rhine-Westphalia Crime in North Rhine-Westphalia Deaths by firearm in Germany School shootings in Germany Spree shootings in Germany Suicides by firearm in Germany November 2006 events in Europe 2006 mass shootings in Europe School killings in Germany