A gunman opened fire yesterday at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, killing six people and injuring three.
Police said all of the victims, who were employees at the shelter, were shot inside the building. Five died at the scene, while a sixth victim later died in hospital. Authorities warned that the death toll could still rise as some of the injured remain in critical condition.
The suspected attacker was arrested together with a woman after they fled the scene.
Germany’s last major gun attack took place in 2023 in Hamburg, when a gunman killed six people before taking his own life at a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
According to police, he was involved in a custody dispute over his three-month-old daughter, who was living at the facility, and had a scheduled appointment there. However, neither his former partner nor his daughter was among the dead or injured.
Der Spiegel reported that information obtained from security authorities suggested the incident was unlikely to have been politically or terrorist motivated, but was instead most likely linked to a private dispute.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Germany, particularly compared with the United States, although several high-profile cases have occurred. The most recent was in 2023, when a gunman in Hamburg shot and killed six people before taking his own life at a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
Source: Guardian
