Kenyan shot after facing robber in Austria

A Google map showing the city of Innsbruck in Western Austria where a Kenyan was shot and seriously wounded as he tried to stop a robbery.
PHOTO/GOOGLE MAPS

What you need to know:

  • Eye witnesses said the Kenyan tried to follow the gunman
  • The gunman spoke German with a foreign accent
  • The Kenyan is now in a stable condition following an operation

Police in Austria are looking for a man who shot and seriously wounded a Kenyan on Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred at a petrol station in the city of Innsbruck in Western Austria when the Kenyan, whose name was not immediately released, tried to stop a masked gunman from carrying out a robbery.

Eye witnesses said the customer tried to follow the gunman after he threatened the gas station employee and demanded cash from the till.

Police told a local Newspaper that the Kenyan was shot in the stomach and bled profusely before being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Workers described him as a long time resident of Tirol Federal State and was a frequent customer at the petrol station.

“He is a very nice man who comes here all the time and is always helping people,” said a clerk who works at the station.

Police said Thursday that the Kenyan is now in a stable condition following an operation at an Innsbruck hospital.

The gunman, who police describe as of regular stature and spoke German with a foreign accent, was wearing a thinly veiled ski-mask.

Although the authorities commended the courage shown by the Kenyan, they cautioned that his actions could have turned tragic.

“It's not really wise to run after a man who has robbed a petrol station and has a gun in his hand,” said Mr Walter Pupp, the head of State Criminal Police Division.

The Police Chief said investigations over the exact amount of money stolen during the incident were still ongoing.

“All we can say right now is that he made off with hundreds of Euros,” he told wienerzeitung.com, a local newspaper.