“... Fatally Injured by a Shot From a Police Weapon.” An exploratory Analysis of German Press Coverage of Police Use of Firearms against Persons

Abstract

This study examines German media coverage of police firearm use against individuals, analyzing interpretive patterns, discourse-shaping cases, and linguistic variations in reporting. Using the GENIOS press database, titles and teaser texts from seven major German media outlets (June 2020 to May 2025) were collected. After categorization, 650 relevant articles remained, of which 488 addressed police firearm use in Germany. The analysis focused on 125 specific cases resulting in injury or death. Two cases significantly shape media discourse: the killings of Mouhamed D. (70 reports) and Lorenz A. (39 reports), both young, male people of color. In cases with comparatively higher media attention, the involvement of weapons carried by the affected individuals played a central role (predominantly bladed/stabbing weapons), while psychological crisis situations were also frequently thematized. Furthermore, the study reveals a broad spectrum of linguistic variations used to describe police killings. The research contributes to understanding how German media construct narratives around police use of force.