2013 Menznau shooting

On 27 February 2013, a gunman opened fire at the Kronospan wood-processing plant in the Swiss town of Menznau, killing four people. Five others were wounded, two critically. The gunman died during a struggle where another worker defended himself by throwing a chair at the gunman, then grabbed with both arms the gunman, during the struggle the gunman shot himself, although it was unsure if this was intentional or unintentional.

2013 Menznau shooting
Menznau Menznau (Canton of Lucerne) Show map of Canton of Lucerne Menznau Menznau (Switzerland) Show map of Switzerland
Location	Menznau, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland
Coordinates	47°05′17″N 8°01′51″E / 47.0880°N 8.0309°E / 47.0880; 8.0309
Date	27 February 2013 (2013-02-27) 09:00 CET (UTC+01:00)
Target	Staff from the Kronospan wood-processing plant
Attack type	Mass shooting
Weapons	Sphinx model AT380 sub-compact pistol
Deaths	5 (including the perpetrator)^[1]
Injured	5
Perpetrator	Viktor Berisha

Shooting

The shooting, which took place at approximately 09:00 CET (08:00 UTC), occurred in the canteen area of the Kronospan wood-processing plant in the Swiss town of Menznau. Four were killed and five were wounded, two critically. The wounded were flown to two area hospitals for treatment.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Among the victims was Benno Studer (born 29 December 1986), a successful Swiss Wrestler active in competitions since 2007, with notable victories in 2010 and 2011.^[7]

The gunman died during a struggle where another worker defended himself by throwing a chair at the gunman, then grabbed with both arms the gunman, during the struggle the gunman shot himself, although it was not possible to determine whether intentionally or accidentally.^[8][9]

The gunman was identified as Viktor Berisha^[10] (in Swiss media mostly anonymized as "Viktor B."), aged 42, a Kosovar Albanian who had received asylum in Switzerland in 1991, and who had been convicted of robbery and sentenced to prison in 1998. At some point after 2003, he was naturalized as a Swiss citizen. The weapon used by the perpetrator was a Sphinx Systems model AT380 sub-compact pistol, legally owned by Berisha's brother. Berisha was married and had three children.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

The shooting resulted in a debate over Switzerland's gun laws.^[16][17]

Victims

• Thomas M., 44, died on 28 February
• Christina N., 47
• Hans S., 61, died on 4 April^[18]
• Benno Studer, 26

References

1. . euronews. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
2. "Three dead in Swiss factory shooting". BBC News. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
3. Smith-Spark, Laura; Morgenstein, Mark (27 February 2013). "Police: 3 dead, several wounded in Switzerland factory shooting". CNN. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
4. Thomasson, Emma (27 February 2013). Williams, Allison (ed.). "Several killed in shooting at Swiss factory". Reuters. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
5. Rüegger, Roger (25 February 2023). "«Die wichtigste Botschaft war: Ihr seid nicht allein»". Luzerner Zeitung (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
6. "Schüsse im Schweizer Menznau: Ein Jahr nach dem Amoklauf". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
7. [Shock for the wrestling family - Benno Studer has died]. Schlussgang (in Swiss High German). 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
8. "So lief der Amoklauf von Menznau ab" [This is how the Menznau rampage happened]. 20 Minuten (in Swiss High German). 21 March 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
9. Smith-Spark, Laura; Morgenstein, Mark (27 February 2013). "Police: 4th person dead in Switzerland factory shooting". CNN News. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
10. Rising, David; Qena, Nebi (28 February 2013). "Death toll in Swiss shooting rises to 4". Associated Press. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
11. [Police confirmed: Fourth person died]. Blick (in Swiss High German). 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
12. [Spree killing claims fourth victim - Viktor B. did not use an army weapon]. Aargauer Zeitung (in Swiss High German). 2 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
13. "Festnahme nach Amoklauf von Menznau – Täter hinterlässt Frau und drei Kinder" [Arrest after Menznau rampage - Perpetrator leaves behind wife and three children]. Tages Anzeiger (in Swiss High German). SDA. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
14. "Kronospan-Mitarbeiter haben Täter nicht getötet". 20 Minuten (in Swiss High German). 21 February 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
15. "Menznau - Amoklauf von Menznau: Todesschütze Viktor B. litt unter Verfolgungswahn". Aargauer Zeitung (in Swiss High German). 17 June 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
16. Curtis, Malcolm (27 February 2013). "Menznau shooting spree renews gun law debate". The Local. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
17. Bachmann, Helena (4 March 2013). "Why Two Mass Shootings Will Not Change Swiss Gun Culture". TIME. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
18. "Death toll from Swiss Menznau shooting rises to five". The Independent. Associated Press. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.