Bio

David Sonboly was born Ali Sonboly on 20 April 1998 in Munich, Germany. His parents were Shiite Muslims from Iran who came to Germany as asylum seekers in the 1990s. He held both Iranian and German nationality. He lived with his parents and a younger brother in the Maxvorstadt neighborhood of Munich. Neighbors said the family household was secular.

At school, Sonboly was largely isolated from his classmates. He experienced years of bullying that included physical abuse. He received psychiatric treatment for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2015 he was treated as an inpatient in a mental health facility for about two months. Neighbors described him as a polite boy. He had no criminal record and worked part time distributing a local free newspaper.

Sonboly had a strong interest in mass shootings and rampage killers. He collected news clippings and owned books on the subject. He visited Winnenden, a site linked to a past school shooting, and took pictures there. People who played online games with him said he wrote anti-Turkish messages, admired the right-wing AfD party, and expressed strong nationalist views. Some media reports said he claimed to be part of the Aryan race and boasted about sharing a birthday with Adolf Hitler.

His parents told police that their son had possibly converted to Christianity, but that he was not religious. In May 2016 he officially changed his first name from Ali to David in his documents. He was born and raised in Munich and lived there with his family.

Murder Story

On 22 July 2016, David Sonboly opened fire near the Olympia shopping mall in the Moosach district of Munich. The shooting began inside a McDonald's restaurant. Witness videos show a gunman firing at people outside the restaurant and later on the roof of a nearby car park.

Sonboly used a fake Facebook account to post invitations to the restaurant. He stayed in the restaurant from about 5:00 pm. At about 5:50 pm he went into the toilets on the first floor and left a manifesto on his laptop. About eight minutes later he came out and opened fire on a group of six teenagers, killing five and wounding one. Eighteen bullets were fired in that attack.

He left the restaurant and shot at people fleeing and at parked vehicles. In that area he fired about sixteen bullets, killing three people and wounding three others. He then crossed the street and walked into the shopping mall. There he fatally shot another teenager near the lifts.

Sonboly walked to a covered footbridge and fired toward the parking deck and a passer-by. He fired at two parked cars. On the top deck he argued with a man on a balcony and fired at him. Another man on a balcony was wounded by ricocheting bullet fragments. Police officers later saw him from a mall balcony and one officer fired a shot that missed.

After the shooting, Sonboly ran across a street and hid in a nearby residential area. He tried to get into a house and lingered in a stairwell. He hid in a bicycle storage room. At 18:26 police officers found him outside and he fatally shot himself.

Nine people and the perpetrator died in the incident. Reports on the number injured differ. One report said 36 people were injured, four by gunfire. Another report said 16 people were injured, four by gunshot. The named victims include Sevda Dağ (45, Turkish), Hüseyin Dayıcık (19, German of Greek heritage), Selçuk Kiliç (15, Turkish), Giuliano Kollmann (18, German of Romanian origin), Can Leyla (14, Turkish), Roberto Rafael (15, Hungarian), Armela Segashi (14, Kosovan), Sabina Sulaj (14, Kosovan), and Dijamant Zabergja (20 or 21, German of Kosovan heritage).

Early reports included a witness claim that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar," but this was not verified. Videos showed the gunman firing at pedestrians and later walking and shooting on the car park roof. At one point he was heard shouting "I am German" and "I was born here" after an onlooker shouted anti-Turkish statements. It is not clear who started the insults.

Authorities deployed about 2,300 officers and special units. The Munich U-Bahn, trams, buses, and parts of the S-Bahn were stopped. Police initially thought there might be multiple attackers but later confirmed there was one. A backpack matching the one seen at McDonald's was found and examined. Police reported finding about 300 rounds of ammunition in it.

Investigations examined motive and background. Bavaria's State Office of Criminal Investigation and the public prosecutor's office said the main motive was revenge for bullying and that mental illness, romantic rejection, and obsession with other shootings were factors. Germany's security agency described Sonboly as a "psychologically ill avenger." An independent report by three political scientists said xenophobia and far-right ideology may also have played a role. Media reports said other people online recalled anti-Turkish messages, admiration for the AfD party, and nationalistic views. Some said he claimed to belong to the Aryan race and boasted about sharing a birthday with Adolf Hitler. In October 2019 Bavarian police classified the shooting as at least partly motivated by right-wing extremist views.

Police said Sonboly planned the attack for about a year. They reported he likely bought the gun illegally and that the firearm had its serial number removed. Investigators later arrested a 16-year-old friend on suspicion of failing to report the shooter's plans. Police also investigated Sonboly's contacts with other attackers after the Munich shooting.