German prosecutors launch homicide probe after police shoot dead Black man

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German police officer has been suspended from duty pending a homicide investigation after shooting dead a 21-year-old Black man, state prosecutors said on Thursday, in a case that has raised concerns over racism.

Police said the man began spraying tear gas at security staff of a night club in the northern city of Oldenburg early on Sunday after being refused entry, causing minor injuries. He also threatened people with a knife before running away.

A patrol car caught up with the man who again sprayed tear gas while walking "menacingly" towards a 27-year-old officer who then opened fire, the police said in a statement on Sunday.

A coroner's examination found three bullets had hit the back of the man's head, upper body and hip, the Oldenburg prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Authorities have not named the victim, citing German privacy law, but local media identified him as Lorenz A.

The homicide investigation will likely "take a while", with a focus on potential surveillance camera footage, a spokesperson for the Oldenburg prosecutors' office told Reuters on Thursday.

The incident has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

"Deadly violence against Black people is not an isolated incident," said Tahir Della, a spokesperson for the Initiative Black People in Germany (ISD). "It is a systemic problem, an institutional problem, and must be addressed accordingly."

Amnesty International Germany called for structural racism in police to be addressed and for independent investigation mechanisms not controlled by the police or local authorities.

A rally is planned on Friday in Oldenburg by the "Justice for Lorenz" initiative, which was set up on social media and has attracted over 10,000 followers. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, according to social media accounts.

Deadly police shootings are relatively rare in Germany.

Racism in German police forces came under the spotlight in 2020 when an investigation was launched into officers suspected of using a chat group on their mobile phones to exchange racist messages about African and Muslim migrants.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger and Miranda Murray, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Gareth Jones)