Picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Golejewski
The shooting in Stade, Germany—in Lower Saxony, not far from Hamburg—ultimately left 6 people dead on Monday afternoon.
The victims were all employees of a healthcare facility for mothers and children. The shooting took place during a meeting regarding the custody of a baby. Four people were killed instantly; a fifth person died despite resuscitation attempts at the scene. The sixth victim died a few hours later in hospital.
Police arrested three suspects, including the alleged shooter. The 45-year-old man of Turkish descent attempted to flee in a car. Police believe the motive was family-related and connected to the custody of a three-month-old baby who was staying at the facility. According to reports, all the victims were employees of the facility: four women and two men. The child and the 34-year-old mother were unharmed.
According to the police, the man had made threats in the past, but he was not known to be violent. He did not have a permit for the weapon he used in the shooting.
Stade is a city of 50,000 residents in the German state of Lower Saxony, in northern Germany, and is located west of Hamburg.
Picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Golejewski