Several people reported dead in Hamburg shooting
Several people have been killed and others were injured after a shooting in the German city of Hamburg, officials said on Thursday evening.
The shooting took place at a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall in the Gross Borstel district at around 9 p.m. local time.
According to several German media reports, at least seven people were killed in the shooting.
“The dead all have gunshot wounds,” a police spokesperson said, without confirming the exact number of victims.
Two witnesses told the n-tv television channel that they heard 12 gunshots.
Police were alerted to the incident around 15 minutes later, according to a spokesperson.
They heard another gunshot after entering the building but did not have to use their firearms, the spokesperson added.
It was not initially clear if there were one or more shooters.
The city’s Senator of the Interior, Andy Grote, said special forces have been deployed to secure the area.
Residents living nearby were warned to leave their homes amid the ongoing operation.
Motive unclear
Police said the background and potential motive behind the shooting during a Jehovah’s Witnesses event were unclear.
“We have no indications of a perpetrator on the run,” a police spokesperson said at the scene.
They said there are “indications that a perpetrator may have been in the building and may be even among the dead.”
Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher said on Twitter that the reports were “shocking.”
“My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims,” he wrote.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated…
zc/rc (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/several-people-reported-dead-in-hamburg-shooting/a-64938984?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom