Six dead and two arrested after shooting in northern German city
Several people were shot dead at a youth welfare centre in the northern German city of Stade on Monday in one of the country's deadliest mass shootings in years. The suspected gunman was been arrested, police confirmed, not long after the tragedy.
Citing police statements, the German Press Agency (DPA) originally reported that five adults were killed. But several more were injured, some of which seriously and the police warned that the death toll of the shooting could still rise.
As of Tuesday morning, a sixth victim has died.
Police arrested two subjects, including the suspected shooter. A spokesperson said that there was no further danger to the population.
The youth facility where the shooting occurred is located in the Stade city centre, not far from the police station. Mothers and their children are known to be housed there.
Investigators did not initially provide information on the identity of the dead and the suspects. It is also still unclear what role the second arrested person is said to have played in the crime.
The background to the crime is not yet known.
Citing information shared in a local police Whatsapp channel, an initial report by local news outlet NDR said that a police operation was taking place on Dankersstraße.
"Avoid the area as far as possible!", the Lüneburg police department had posted on X at 1:30pm.
+++ACHTUNG – Polizeieinsatz in der Dankersstraße in Stade+++
Derzeit kommt es in Stade zu einer polizeilichen Einsatzlage. Meidet den Bereich weiträumig!
Einsatzbegleitende Informationen erhaltet ihr auf dem WhatsApp-Kanal der Polizei Stade unter:https://t.co/LeoOTiCZOz pic.twitter.com/12fvSVxH8I
A report by Bild at that time said that two police helicopters were in the air over the city centre and that the situation was "dynamic".
A number of pastors had arrived at the scene a short time later.
Stade is part of the Hamburg metropolitan region and is located on the Elbe River, around 40 kilometres west of Hamburg. It's home to nearly 50,000 residents.
A spokesman for the city of Stade said there was no danger to a nearby daycare center and primary school. The shots were also not heard there. Parents have since been able to pick up their schoolchildren.
"We are happy that our employees and the children in the daycare center and elementary school are doing well and I would like to thank the police officers for their commitment in this confusing situation," said Stade's city councillor Carsten Brokelmann in a statement.
The city council also expressed its condolences: "Our deep sympathy goes out to the victims of this terrible act and their bereaved."
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Germany. The country has some of Europe's strictest gun laws, including a requirement for anyone under 25 to pass a psychiatric exam before applying for a gun licence.
Monday's was among the deadliest mass shootings in the country in recent years.
In February 2020, a far-right extremist shot dead nine people and wounded five others in the central German city of Hanau.
In May 2022 a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a secondary school in northern Germany, badly injuring a female member of staff before being arrested.
In March 2023 a disgruntled former Jehovah's Witness member shot dead six people from the Christian group's congregation in the German city of Hamburg, before turning the gun on himself.