Germany: Several Killed in Deadly Shooting

By Staff, Agencies

A number of people were killed and injured in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in Germany's northern Hamburg city late on Thursday.

Police say the gunman acted alone, and is thought to be dead. It is unclear if the attacker is among the six or seven fatalities reported by German media.

As yet, "there is no reliable information on the motive", police say.

The gunman is a former member of the religious community aged between 30 and 40, reports Der Spiegel magazine.

Police said they found a dead person at the scene who they believe may have been the perpetrator and investigations are continuing.

They were called at about 21:15 local time on Thursday, to reports that shots had been fired in the building on Deelböge street, Gross Borstel district, police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

Officers who went in found people who “may have been seriously injured by firearms, some of them fatally,” he said.

“The officers also heard a shot from the upper part of the building and went upstairs, where they also found a person. So far we have no indications that any perpetrators fled.”

He said police had not yet identified the victims and work at the crime scene continued.