Six employees of a shelter for mothers and children in Stade, northern Germany, were killed.
A 45-year-old man allegedly opened fire during what authorities believe was a child custody-related incident.
Police detained the suspected gunman and two others, ruled out any ongoing public threat and continued forensic investigations at the scene.
Six Killed in Shooting at Mothers and Children’s Shelter in Northern Germany
Officials said the suspect had attended an appointment at the facility before the shooting; his three-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were not harmed.
Summary
Six people were killed in a shooting at a shelter for mothers and children in northern Germany on Monday, with authorities identifying a 45-year-old man involved in an apparent child custody dispute as the suspected attacker.
Officials said the man had attended a scheduled appointment at the facility in Stade, near the port city of Hamburg, before opening fire around midday.
All six victims, four women and two men, were employees of the shelter. Authorities said the man’s three-month-old daughter and the child’s mother were unharmed.
The suspected shooter, the child’s mother and another woman were taken into custody, officials said.
"I'm deeply shocked by the extent of violence in a place that is meant to provide protection," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Police initially urged residents to avoid the area but later said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The shooting unfolded on a cobbled residential street lined with red-brick homes, where police sealed off the area and forensic teams continued gathering evidence into the evening.
Five victims died at the scene, while a sixth later died in hospital.
Video published by Bild appeared to show police surrounding and detaining two individuals in a car travelling with a damaged tyre.
Authorities said the suspected gunman lives in the Hannover area, was born in Germany and has Turkish roots.
Mass shootings remain uncommon in Germany compared with countries such as the United States. In 2023, a gunman in Hamburg killed six people before taking his own life at a Jehovah’s Witness hall. In 2016, an 18-year-old German-Iranian attacker killed at least nine people in Munich after developing an obsession with mass killings.
(Reuters reported)
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