Dead and wounded in shooting at Hamburg's Jehovah's Witnesses church, shooter presumed dead

to updateSeveral people were killed in a shooting at the Kingdom Hall church of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg, northern Germany. According to German media, there are at least seven victims. Several people were also injured, including at least two seriously. A police spokesman said the shooter may have been found dead in the building.

“We do not have indications that the perpetrator is on the run, but we do have indications that the perpetrator may be in the building and may be one of the dead,” a police spokesman told local news service 24 Hamburg. It would be a deceased person who was found on a higher floor in the building.

Police received a report at approximately 9:15 p.m. Thursday of a shooting at a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Alsterdorf. A police spokesman said that a special unit of riot police was close to the three-storey building and heard a gunshot from an upper floor. There, a dead person was found on that floor. “It is still not clear if this was the perpetrator,” said police, who still had no idea what motivated the shooting. According to German media, in addition to the dead, seven people were seriously injured and seventeen were slightly injured.

‘church’

In the first message on Twitter, the Hamburg police spoke of a “massive police deployment”. In a second message, the police confirmed that several people were killed and seriously injured during a shooting at a “church”, without giving figures.

The area has been cordoned off and the public is being asked to avoid the area. Local residents have been warned to stay indoors due to the “extreme danger”. This report was pulled after midnight. Several ambulances and fire engines also responded to the report.

Hamburg Mayor Peter Schentscher expressed his indignation over the shooting on social media. “The messages are horrific,” Tschentscher wrote on Twitter. Sincere condolences to the families of the victims. The emergency services are working hard to track down the perpetrators and clear up the background.” Chincher also called on citizens to follow the police’s instructions.

According to the police, there is no indication of another perpetrator or fugitive: “At the moment the situation is calm,” a police spokesperson said late in the evening. The type of event Jehovah’s Witnesses held was initially unclear. According to the police, several people attended the event, which was open to the public according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses website.