Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Who Were The Two Bystanders Killed By Thwarted Synagogue Shooter In Halle?

The man who tried to kill Jews at prayer over Yom Kippur in Halle, Germany, was unable to enter the synagogue: It was locked. So the man, an avowed white nationalist, turned his gun on bystanders, killing two people.

Lange was killed after she criticized the shooter for making a lot of noise.

“Is that really necessary while I’m walking past here?” she said, according to the Daily Mail.

Lange was remembered as an avid music fan and was known in Germany’s music scene for her warmth and dedication, according to news reports. She could not work due to a disability.

“The rampage in Halle has taken our most loyal fan from us,” Stefan Mross, one of Lange’s favorite artists, wrote in a social media post. He added that she had “a zest for life.”

Kevin S. was shot at a Doner kebab shop near a construction site where he was working. He was a supporter of Hallescher FC, a local soccer club.

After news of the rampage began to filter out, Kevin’s father posted on Facebook, concerned that he had not heard from his son, who he knew was in the area.

“All we know is that you were close to the construction site and lost your phone,” he wrote. “Kevin, we love you over everything else.”

“He had his whole life ahead of him. He was only 20 years old,” his mother told reporters. “I don’t know how my life is supposed to carry on.”

She reportedly watched the footage that the shooter had live-streamed of her son being shot to death as he ate his lunch.

Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.