Several investigations were launched today into the killing last Friday of a displaced Jew by a German policeman in the north Bavarian town of Amberg. The U.S. Army, the Bavarian Government and Jewish agencies are carrying out the inquiry.
The DP, Sholem Lang, was shot while being questioned about alleged illegal, activities. The policeman claims that Lang attacked him. The local military government authorities cleared the German and released him.
Lang was found with four bullets in his body. The policeman insisted that before he fired at the Jew, he first discharged his pistol into the air four times, as a warning. However, preliminary reports of the shooting state that the room in which the scuffle is alleged to have occurred showed no signs of violence. In addition, no signs of the four “warning” bullets could be found in the walls or ceiling of the room.
The Bavarian Office for Political and Racial Persecutees, headed by Dr. Philip S. Auerbach, has suspended the policeman from duty, pending its independent investigation. Jewish representatives checking the details of the case declare that they are interested only in why Lang was shot, not in his activities.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.