Police mass outside the site of an alleged church centre shooting in Hamburg, Germany, on 9 March, 2023
Multiple people were killed and several others were wounded in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness church centre in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday.
Newspaper Bild reported that seven people had been killed and eight more injured after the shooting, but the official death toll is yet to be confirmed by police.
Other local outlets have reported there being six victims.
“My deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher wrote on Twitter in German on Thursday. “The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrator(s) and to clarify the background.”
Police said the motive for the attack, which happened at around 9pm local time, is currently unclear, and that there are not currently indications of a suspect at large.
“So far, there is no reliable information on the motive for the crime,” the Hamburg police said in a statement toThe Washington Post.
ICYMI: Mass shooting strikes Hamburg
Multiple people have died and several others are injured after a shooting in a church in Hamburg.
The Hamburg city government said the shooting took place at a Jehovah’s Witness church in the Gross Borstel district on Thursday evening.
“My deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher wrote on Twitter in German on Thursday. “The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrator(s) and to clarify the background.”
Get all the details in our breaking news report.
Mass shootings are rare in Germany
The shooting on Thursday in a Jehovah’s Witness centre in Hamburg marks a relative rarity in Germany.
That said, in recent years, the country has experienced some shootings.
Here’s more information on those incidents.
How many Jehovah’s Witnesses are there in Germany?
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a minority in Germany.
The front page in Germany: ‘Bloodbath in Church!’
A shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness centre in Hamburg, Germany, has claimed upwards of six lives, according to local media.
Here’s how one publication, Bild, covered the story.
The paper described the shooting, in German, as a “Bloodbath in Church.”
A German news headline reading ‘Bloodbath in Church!’ about a shooting on 9 March in the city of Hamburg
‘We’re shattered’: Shock in local community after church shooting
Hamburg is in shock after at least six people were killed in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness centre on Thursday evening.
“God, tonight we’re shattered, shocked,” the Archdiocese of Hamburg wrote on Twitter on Thursday in German. “Tonight our thoughts will not rest. Tonight we are with those whose lives have changed in the blink of an eye.”
Potential body of shooter found on scene: police
Police have discovered the body of an individual who may be responsible for tonight’s shooting.
“We found a lifeless person in a community center in #GroßBorstel who we believe could be a perpetrator. In order to rule out the involvement of other perpetrators, we carry out checks and search extensively,” the Hamburg police department wrote on Twitter in German on Thursday.
Witnesses describe ‘hectic’ Hamburg shooting
Witnesses are beginning to recount what happened on Thursday evening during a shooting at a church centre in Hamburg.
“It was about four firing periods. During these periods, several shots were always fired, approximately 20 seconds to one minute apart,” said Lara Bauch, 23, according to The Guardian.
“I then looked further out of the window and saw a person running hectically from the ground floor to the first floor at the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” she added.
Photos show scene outside Hamburg church
Police are in the process of investigating a shooting that claimed multiple lives at a Hamburg church centre.
Dramatic photos captured the operation, where local officials say they haven’t identified a motive behind the violence.
Several killed and others injured after shooting at church in Hamburg
Multiple people have died and several others are injured after a shooting in a church in Hamburg.
The Hamburg city government said the shooting took place at a Jehovah’s Witness church in the Gross Borstel district on Thursday evening.
“My deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher wrote on Twitter in German on Thursday. “The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrator(s) and to clarify the background.”
Get all the details in our breaking news story.
Source: independent.co.uk