Three horses and a fox shot
82-year-old farmer from the Southern Palatinate as a shooter
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Three shot horses and a dead fox were discovered in a pasture in the Hornbach area of the Southern Palatinate on Thursday morning. Witnesses had informed the Zweibrücken police after finding one of the dead animals in the paddock. Investigations revealed that the animals were probably shot on Thursday night.
An 82-year-old farmer was identified as the suspected perpetrator. Two of the horses killed belonged to him, the third to a 60-year-old man from the district. The police seized the suspected murder weapon. In addition, the weapons authority of the Südwestpfalz district administration confiscated further weapons, the man's gun ownership card and hunting license. The firearms license is currently being reviewed. The veterinary office assisted the police and the public prosecutor's office in examining the animals. The background to the crime is the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.