Heinz Müller (Wall victim)
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Heinz Müller (born May 16, 1943 in Rostock , † June 19, 1970 in East Berlin ) was one of the few West Germans who were shot as a wall jumper on the Berlin Wall .
Life
Müller lived and worked as a commercial clerk in West Berlin .
On the afternoon of June 18, 1970, he went to a viewing platform on Köpenicker Strasse in Berlin-Kreuzberg to look over the wall. He stayed there for several hours, drinking from a bottle, gesturing towards East Berlin and shouting incomprehensible things.
For unexplained reasons, he ended up - intentionally or unintentionally - on the other side of the West Berlin wall at around 1:50 a.m. H. in the barrier strip. He ran around the border system, disoriented, then a guard of the GDR border troops shot him with two bursts of fire. One of the bullets penetrated Müller's hip. He died around 4:50 a.m. in the People's Police Hospital . The body was cremated and buried by the authorities of the GDR, with a GDR address given on the death certificate for Müller. The border guards involved were presented with bonuses and special leave, the shooter was praised and awarded the border troops' achievement badge. None of those involved learned of Müller's death.
A search was started on the West Berlin side after work colleagues and his foster parents reported him missing. The circumstances of his death could only be clarified after the fall of the Wall in 1991. Before that, the foster father feared that Müller had been arrested in East Berlin, which East German authorities denied.
In November 1991, prosecutors brought charges against the shooter. On October 28, 1992 (after a final appeal on April 19, 1994) he was sentenced to a two-year youth penalty on probation.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Müller, Heinz |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German wall victim |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 16, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rostock |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 19, 1970 |
| Place of death | Berlin |