26 September 1971 · Over the wall
Man shot halfway across the Wall; bullets hit a West Berlin house
Early on 26 September 1971 guards shot and apparently wounded a man of about 30 whom they caught halfway across the Wall in the American sector; some bullets hit a house on the West Berlin side.
Early on 26 September 1971 East German border guards shot and apparently wounded a man trying to escape over the Berlin Wall. Police said the man, about 30 years old, was caught by the guards halfway across the Wall in the American sector. Two shots were fired and four signal flares sent up, and some of the bullets struck a house on the West Berlin side. Guards were seen standing around the man as he lay on the ground; witnesses said he was limping as they led him away.
The US commander in Berlin, Major General William W. Cobb, protested sharply against the 'continuing inexcusable use of force and the evident contemptuous disregard for the unfortunate victims and the safety of other persons'.
Sources
- East Berlin Guards Shoot And Capture Man at Wall (27 September 1971)The New York Times (AP)
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