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'School killer was wearing black. I thought it was a joke, then he fired'
Allan Hall in Berlin and Kiran Randhawa12 Mar 2009
A boy wounded in the German student massacre told today how the black-clad gunman stormed into a classroom and killed his friend.
Patrick Schneider, 15, was shot three times as Tim Kretschmer rampaged through Albertville secondary school in Winnenden, a suburb of Stuttgart. His friend, Chantal Schill, 16, was today named as one of the 15 people to die in the massacre, along with 14-year-old Jana Schober.
Patrick said: "He came in a black combat suit as we were about to start a German lesson. I noticed he had a bulletproof vest on. I thought it was a joke. Then he opened fire. He said nothing. Myself and the others near me scrambled altogether.
"We overturned the desks and hid behind them. Suddenly I noticed I was hit: in the back, in the arm and in the cheek. Then he was gone and we barricaded the door. And then I saw Chantal. She was slumped by the door. Dead."
His account came as it emerged that Kretschmer, 17, warned he was going to unleash "hell" on his former school hours before the shootings.
He said on the internet: "I will show them what I can do", adding "I have serious weapons" before storming into Albertville Secondary School.
The comments were made to a 17-year-old in Bavaria in an online chat room. Kretschmer went on: "Everybody is looking at me, nobody recognises my potential.
"Sh*t... I have had enough... I am fed up with this bloody life. I have serious weapons here and I am going to my old school tomorrow to give them hell. I will show them what I can do. Keep your ears open. You will hear from me tomorrow. You will see the images and then you will believe it."
Kretschmer, who often accompanied his father Joerg to the local gun club, added: "Perhaps I will escape. Winnenden is the name. Please don't say anything to the police. I am splitting my sides with laughter." He ended the message with "LOL", an acronym for laughing out loud.
The father of the boy with whom he chatted at 2.45am yesterday - less than seven hours before the shootings - contacted Kretschmer's father yesterday afternoon. But by then it was too late.
Police revealed that Kretschmer was undergoing psychiatric treatment last year at a clinic in Heilbronn but was released to continue treatment at the clinic opposite his school.He stopped treatment soon afterwards.
Police said there were 4,600 rounds of ammunition at his parents' home. He knew the combination of the locks on the cupboards and took a stockpile to the school. He fired 112 shots with a gun from his father's collection of 15. Officers found a further 109 unused rounds after he killed himself.
Women seemed to be his chief target. He killed three female teachers and eight female pupils. Other victims included a male pupil, a gardener working in the grounds of the clinic across the road from the school and two passers-by.
A 19-year-old who knew the killer said: "My parents know his parents. They asked me to play with him because he had no friends. Tim had at least 30 soft air weapons.
"When we were out he had a shot at us with the soft air pistols and wouldn't stop. That really hurt. That's why we all lost patience with his game."
He added the gun Kretschmer used was the one he liked the most. "Tim wanted his father's Beretta more than anything," he said.
Reader views (4)
CA symptom of our present ”culture”, I`m afraid.
- Darius Midwinter, London UK, 13/03/2009 10:39
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So contrary to initial media reports that he was "just a normal boy", it now emerges he is an outcast.
- Ad, London, 13/03/2009 04:02
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This situation is a product of society and its attitudes towards individuals who need help the most. Im not making excuses for what this guy did, but surely this could have been prevented. This young man was more than likely bullied, misunderstood and rejected at school, being nicknamed 'the loser' is hardly going to help his state of mind is it? Anyone who is different are ridiculed by peers, any cries for help are blatently ignored. People are so quick to judge individuals, and look at the end product. Some people may commit suicide, others may have the motivation to kill others, whichever the outcome is, the root cause cannot be brushed aside. Firearms laws should be tightened, but shouldnt we as a society look out for and respect people who are 'odd' and have stricter measures for anti-bullying? That individual who publicly mentioned a few months ago that bullying is good for a child and aids character development should think again.
- Matt T, Northampton, 12/03/2009 13:39
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Another kid damaged by his family. It makes me wonder why so many people have children when they do not want them. I know this only too well.
Having said this, he had no right and there is no justification for doing what he did. Taking other innocent lives, some of whom also probably had family issues is reprehensible. A sad day for Germany and a even sadder reflection on human beings.
- M Grelton, London, 12/03/2009 13:28
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