The 53-year old engineer and former pastor Arno Kuhn from Hamburg was traveling in his car with his wife, a daughter and a Swedish friend near the city of Luebeck, Friday, August 13, when a vehicle in front of them forced two cyclists off the road and sped off.
While his daughter got out to help the two 13-year-old injured boys, Kuhn chased the driver. When he managed to stop him, the 41-year-old Polish harvest worker got out, pulled a gun and shot Kuhn. He died later in hospital, news reports said.
The Polish man, who has not been identified, was reportedly arrested by police and charged with murder. He was said to have been under the influence of alcohol during the attack. The man had stolen the car and two handguns from the farm where he worked, police officials added.
"MENTAL BLACKOUT"
The Polish worker was quoted as saying that he had “a mental blackout”, when he shot the former preacher.
Kuhn leaves behind a wife and three children, aged 13, 14 and 27. He was pastor of an Adventist church in Hamburg in the early seventies. Members of the congregation describe him as “a person who had a heart for the poor and underprivileged.”
Germans say it is tragic that Kuhn lost his life "as a result of showing civil courage." Shootings in Germany are more rare than in the United States because of strict gun controls. But this latest attack and other recent deadly shootouts in public areas such as schools, have added to public concern about the security situation in the country.
