Which person was the last to be shot and killed while crossing the Berlin Wall?

Chris Gueffroy was the last person shot and killed while crossing the Berlin Wall.

On 5 February 1989, Gueffroy and his friend Christian Gaudian tried to cross near Britzer Allee in the Neukölln district. East German border guards spotted them as they approached the border fortifications. Guards fired, killing Gueffroy and wounding Gaudian, who was captured and imprisoned.

Gueffroy’s death came only nine months before the border opened. The guards involved were later prosecuted after German reunification; the court found that the shooting violated the law, although the case involved the legal and political difficulties of judging former East German border personnel.

The wording matters: Gueffroy is generally identified as the last person killed by East German border guards while attempting to cross. Winfried Freudenberg died later, on 8 March 1989, after an escape by homemade balloon failed, so he is not the answer to this specific question.