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BERLIN (AP) — A 32-year-old German admitted Monday that he sold the pistol used by a teenager at a deadly shooting rampage at a Munich mall a year ago.
The dpa news agency reported that the defendant admitted at the opening of his trial in a Munich state court that he sold the weapon and ammunition to David S., the 18-year-old who went on the rampage last summer, killing nine and wounding dozens before killing himself.
Philipp K., whose last name wasn't released in line with privacy laws, faces a possible five years in prison if convicted of charges of involuntary manslaughter, weapons violations and other crimes.
Pleas aren't entered in the German system and such admissions are common as a way to mitigate a defendant's sentence.
K. said he sold the weapon on the darknet, a restricted access computer network often used by criminals, but had no idea it would be used for an attack.
He apologized to the victims of the attack in a statement read by his attorney, saying if he had known that the teenager "would commit such a horrible act" he would have never sold him the Glock 17 pistol.
Investigators have said the assailant in the July 2016 shooting was a victim of bullying who suffered from panic attacks and depression.
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