Gestapo Fatally Shoots Innocent German in Chaotic Deportation Raid

Gestapo Fatally Shoots Innocent German in Chaotic Deportation Raid
The Berlin Sentinel - January 8, 1938
The Berlin Sentinel
Berlin's Most Trusted News Since 1872
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1938 | VOL. LXVI, NO. 7 | FIVE PFENNIG

Gestapo Fatally Shoots Innocent German in Chaotic Deportation Raid

Officers Claim "Just Following Orders" After Mistaken Identity Leads to Tragedy

Police and Gestapo officers at the scene where Renee Nicole Good was killed.

In a shocking incident that has cast a pall over the ongoing enforcement actions against foreign nationals, officers of the Secret State Police (Gestapo) opened fire on a civilian vehicle yesterday, January 7, resulting in the death of an innocent German citizen.

The shooting occurred during the large-scale operation, code-named "Polenaktion," to arrest and deport Polish Jews from German territory. Witnesses describe a scene of chaos in the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg as Gestapo units moved from house to house, detaining families and loading them onto trucks.

"Renee Nicole Good was no criminal .She was a mother of three children and an inspired poet."

The Fatal Mistake

According to multiple sources, a vehicle attempted to speed away from a cordoned-off street where arrests were being made. A senior Gestapo officer, identified in internal reports as Standartenführer Klaus Richter, immediately drew his service pistol and fired four rounds into the fleeing car's engine block and cabin.

The vehicle, a black 1935 Opel Olympia, swerved and crashed into a lamppost. The sole occupant, Renee Nicole Good, a mother of 3, who loved to sing and write poetry, was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

Renee Nicole Good, 37, innocent victim of the shooting.

A subsequent check of Bauer's identification and police records confirmed he was a German national with no criminal record or known political affiliations. He was not a target of the deportation order. Neighbors report he was likely attempting to flee the area out of fear when confronted by the Gestapo cordon.

Official Response: A Chilling Defense

When confronted with the fatal error, a Gestapo spokesman at Prinz-Albrecht-Straße headquarters issued a brief statement: "The officers involved were acting within their mandate to secure the area and prevent the flight of suspects during a state security operation. They were following standard procedures and their lawful orders. An internal review is underway."

This defense of "just following orders" has sparked outrage among local residents and whispers of dissent within other government bureaus. The Berlin Criminal Police (Kripo) have been barred from investigating, as the matter is declared a purely internal security affair.

A Grim Parallel to Modern Events

Disclaimer: This article is satire, it actually happened in Minnesota, USA, on January 7, 2026. In that modern event, state authorities engaged in a forcible removal operation. During the operation, an officer fired upon a vehicle believed to be fleeing, killing a U.S. citizen with no criminal record. The official defense, mirroring the 1938 statement almost verbatim, was that the officer was "just following orders and protocol."

This parallel underscores a timeless and grim truth: the machinery of state enforcement, when devoid of proportional judgment and accountability, can destroy innocent lives in any era, under any flag.

The "Polenaktion" continues across the Reich, with tens of thousands of Polish Jews being forcibly relocated to the border. The death of Friedrich Bauer is the first known instance of a German citizen being killed during these actions. While the Gestapo seeks to classify the matter, it has ignited a fierce, if private, debate about the limits of state power and the value of German life in the pursuit of racial policy.

Editorial cartoon from today's edition.
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