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The Romanshorn shooting was an act of mass murder that occurred in the town of Romanshorn, Switzerland, on August 30, 1912. On that evening, Hermann Schwarz, a 25-year-old local resident recently discharged from the army, opened fire at people in the street from the second-story window of his apartment. In the initial shooting and the following siege Schwarz shot a total of twelve men, six of them fatally, before managing to escape into a nearby forest. While police and townsmen engaged in an extensive search operation the gunman killed another person and evaded capture until the next day, when he was shot and wounded and subsequently taken into custody. In the following months Schwarz was examined by several psychiatrists and was found to suffer from mental illness, resulting in his acquittal due to insanity. He was ordered to be institutionalized for the rest of his life.〔(Crazy soldier kills four ), ''The New York Times'' (September 1, 1912)〕〔(Madman shoots, kills; captured ), ''The Spokesman-Review'' (September 29, 1912)〕 ==Shooting== As a reservist Schwarz was conscripted to a military exercise that was about to begin on August 26, but showing signs of a mental disorder his mother felt inclined to inform the Gemeindeammannamt (''Mayor's Office'') about his disturbed condition, and urged Gemeindeammann (''Mayor'') Etter to notify police. Because of that Schwarz was examined by his battalion's physician and was indeed found to be mentally unfit to fulfill his duties, so he was released from military service and sent home again on August 28. For reasons unknown Schwarz was left in the possession of his service rifle and revolver, and he was able to take them home with him. Finding out about the reason for his dismissal, Schwarz reportedly became furious and threatened to shoot Etter. During the night he crept around the house of a woman known to him and smashed in a window. Police were alerted about his behaviour and the Bezirksamt (''District Office'') ordered him to be confined and put under medical observation. On August 30, at about 4 p.m., Schwarz travelled to Amriswil and bought 80 rounds of ammunition. At 6 p.m. two police officers were sent to his home in order to arrest him. They encountered Schwarz in the hallway, but he resisted his arrest, threatened the officers with his revolver and, after a short scuffle, managed to escape into his room on the second floor and lock the door. Anton Fritsch, a butcher's journeyman living in the same building, was called to assist the officers, but when he tried to break into the gunman's refuge, Schwarz fired through the door, hitting him in the chest four times. As nobody dared to recover him, Fritsch was left bleeding to death. Attracted by the gunshots, people began gathering around the building, whereupon Schwarz started shooting from a window. He shot two people trying to enter. Escaped at about 11:30 pm. A police officer watched him, shot at him three times, but missed. Schwarz killed railway employee/collier Franz Xaver Weber with a shot through the heart, as well as a 15-year-old Italian boy, Biagio Pedrollo, who was pushing his bicycle along the street, with shots in the heart and face. He also injured a letter carrier named Hugelshofer, with a shot through the arm, apparently when firing at Etter, who was standing nearby. Harmann then fatally wounded typesetter Rudolf Thommen with a shot through the lung, Then killed inn keeper Friedrich Keller. Forty armed people gathered and fired at the building. Some members of the local Schützenverein entered the building, Schwarz shot at them barricaded behind a wardrobe, killing Anton Fritsch (lived in the building so killed before?) and Friedrich Keller. He also injured police officer Staheli with a shot in the knee, Heizer shot in arm, manager of gas plant shot in leg, Thommen shot in lung, Italian shot in hip. Escaped 12:30 pm. The shooting continued until 11 p.m. At about 12:30 a.m. the building was stormed, though Schwarz had escaped by climbing down a treeor ladder in the backyard. He left his rifle behind, but took the revolver with him. 12 police officers with dogs began searching for him the next day. Schwarz escaped into a nearby forest at about 9:30 p.m, from where he continued shooting. Up to his escape he had fired more than 100 times. One of the victims (Keller?) probably shot by those firing at the building. Fritsch was killed with four shots, 11 bullets recovered from Keller's body, apparently none of them fired from the gunman's rifle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Romanshorn shooting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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