HALLE, GERMANY – OCTOBER 09: A general view of the entrance to the Jewish synagogue and the Jewish cemetery near the scene of a shooting that has left two people dead on October 9, 2019 in Halle, Germany. Law enforcement authorities, after initially speaking of multiple attackers, are now referring to a single attacker who has been apprehended. A video, apparently streamed by the attacker live and with commentary from the shooting spree, shows him attempt and fail to force his way into the synagogue in Halle. He then, using what he describes as an improvised weapon, shoots a woman happening to pass by his car on the street and drives to a nearby kebab shop, where he shoots a man inside several times. Afterwards he fires at police blocking a street ahead of him, only to be wounded by returned fire. Towards the end of the video he states that he is bleeding and that he has been shot, and calls himself a “complete loser” in an apparent apology to his perceived audience for not delivering the “action” he had anticipated. According to media reports the attacker has been identified as 27-year-old Stephan B. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)
(JTA) — Jana Lange was a dedicated fan of German pop music. Kevin S. was a construction worker and decorator who loved soccer.
They have been identified as the two victims killed in the shooting by the gunman who tried to enter the Halle synagogue in Germany on Yom Kippur. Lange was 40; Kevin was 20.
An unidentified 40-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man were injured in Wednesday’s attack, according to Der Spiegel.
While 51 worshippers prayed inside on the most solemn day of the Jewish year, the gunman tried unsuccessfully to shoot through the synagogue’s door. Before she was shot, Lange reprimanded the shooter for being noisy near the synagogue during Yom Kippur prayer services.
According to The Times of Israel, “Lange was unable to work due to a medical condition, and devoted most of her time to attending shows and collecting autographs. Friends and German musical artists on social media mourned Lange, recalling her warmth, humor and dedication to the German pop music scene.”
Den Opfern ein Gesicht geben:
Wenn man die Berichterstattung zu #Halle vergegenwärtigt, muss man sich fragen, warum die beiden Ermordeten kaum Erwähnung finden?
Sie waren Deutsche und hießen Kevin S. (20) und Jana L. (40) RiP✝️ pic.twitter.com/6qDkNOVAIi
— 🤗Fjordfrau👑 (@Fjordfrau) October 11, 2019
After killing Lange, the shooter proceeded to a kebab shop, where he shot and killed Kevin S., who was described as “a dedicated worker and avid soccer fan.”
During a since-removed livestream on the platform Twitch, the shooter — identified as Stephan Balliet, 27 — said in English that “the root of all problems are the Jews” and began his attack. He had a camera mounted on his helmet during the attack.
In federal court Thursday evening, the accused gunman claimed anti-Semitic and right-wing motives for the attack.
