Chilly.

I know this post is coming months after the fact, but non-news-following me only came across this story in a talkshow last night and it's left me speechless: A 24-year-old student called Tennessee Eisenberg was shot dead by police in his own home on the morning of April 30th.

Apparently his flatmate had called the police saying that Tennessee had threatened him with a knife. So eight police officers entered the apartment and found the student holding a kitchen knife. According to police statements the officers asked him to drop his weapon and when he didn't do it, first attacked him with pepper spray. When that remained without effect - they claimed that Tennessee had cornered and threatened one of the officers - they opened fire. They fired two whole magazines, 16 shots (!) - 13 of which found their target. Not at all surprisingly, Tennessee didn't survive such a salvo. He died within the hour.

So many questions remain unanswered though:

- Why was no trace of the pepper spray found in his lungs later?

- Why did several of the bullets hit him from behind? Was he trying to seek shelter?

- Why, for heaven's sake, did eight fully trained police officers not manage to disarm one skinny student?

- What did really happen between him and his flatmate?

- What caused such an out-of-character behaviour in the first place?

Although, scratch that last one. Because whatever the background story, however unreasonable or (possibly) threatening his behaviour might have been that morning, nothing, absolutely nothing justifies such an execution.

Which leads to the next question:

- Who the hell do they liberally hand out lethal firearms to in this country? I mean, very obviously those police officers did not manage to maintain any kind of proportion between problem and remedy.

- And since when are police officers (above) the law? Did I miss that tiny note announcing the separation of powers had been abolished?

* * *

A young, quiet student of music. 16 bullets in the hallway of his own home.

Chills down my spine.