Six adults were killed Monday after a shooting at a youth welfare facility in the northern German city of Stade, with police identifying the suspected gunman as a 45-year-old German citizen with "Turkish roots," according to officials.
Authorities arrested two people following the attack, including the alleged shooter. Investigators said the incident appears to stem from a private family dispute rather than political or ideological motives. The victims, four women and two men, were employees of the facility. Five died at the scene, while a sixth later succumbed to injuries in hospital. Police said the death toll could still rise as other victims remain injured.
According to Reuters, police said the suspected shooter had been involved in a custody dispute over his three-month-old daughter. Investigators said they believe "it is not a case of femicide, nor does it involve a political background or anything of that nature. Rather it is an extended family tragedy."
The shooting took place inside the youth welfare center in Stade, a city west of Hamburg. Officers sealed off the neighborhood as forensic teams searched the scene, though police later said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
A police spokesperson earlier told Agence France-Presse that authorities had arrested "a male principal offender and a female companion," while a separate police statement initially referred to a third person being detained.
According to Focus Online, a witness said a man and woman attempted to flee the area in a silver Mercedes before police intercepted the vehicle. The witness claimed officers fired at least 15 rounds after the driver failed to stop. Images from the scene showed the vehicle with a blown-out rear tire.
Bild reports that the driver collapsed from the vehicle after it came to a stop as armed officers surrounded the car. Police also confirmed that a home for mothers and children located in the same building was not affected by the shooting.
Speaking on behalf of the city administration, Councillor Carsten Brokelmann said: “I would like to thank the police officers for their efforts in this chaotic situation.” He added that the city extends its “deep condolences to the victims of this terrible act and their families and loved ones.”
