Teen on trial for killing officer during robbery in Germany

A 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting a police officer after robbing a petrol station in western Germany went on trial on Wednesday, reported dpa.

The man has been charged with murder, attempted murder and aggravated robbery.

Prosecutors believe the defendant fired several shots at a 34-year-old police officer to conceal his involvement in the robbery in the town of Völklingen near the French border on August 21 last year.

The officer who was killed had been pursuing the suspected robber on foot with a colleague. A struggle ensued in which the fugitive managed to grab the service weapon of the 34-year-old's colleague and shot him several times, according to the indictment.

A police trainee was injured in the shooting.

The 19-year-old holds both German and Turkish citizenship.

His defence lawyer has said that he plans to address the accusations in court.

The case has drawn widespread media attention in Germany, where shootings of this kind are comparatively rare. All seats in the courtroom were occupied at the start of the trial, with the officer's widow appearing as a co-plaintiff.

Due to the defendant's age, he is being tried in the juvenile division of the Saarbrücken Regional Court, which has scheduled 12 trial dates until April 14.