Six killed in shooting at youth welfare facility in Stade
Six adults were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in Stade. The suspected perpetrator, a 45-year-old man, has been arrested.
Six killed in shooting at youth welfare facility in Stade
Six adults were killed by gunfire at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Lower Saxony, on Monday. Five of them died at the scene, while a sixth person died later in hospital. Several other people sustained injuries, some of them serious. This is reported by Der Spiegel.
The facility is located in the city centre and houses, among other things, mother-child residential groups. All six people killed were employees of the youth welfare facility – four women and two men.
Police arrested the suspect, a 45-year-old man of Turkish descent from the Hanover area, on the same day. He reportedly initially fled as a passenger in a vehicle driven by a woman. Officers pursued the car and fired shots themselves, which likely caused a tyre puncture on the getaway vehicle. The driver is closely connected to the man's family.
According to investigators, a custody dispute may have been the motive. The suspect had an appointment at the facility regarding custody of his three-month-old daughter, according to reports. Neither the child nor the mother are among the victims.
Police had prior information about the man from a threat-related context. However, he had not previously been classified as "absolutely violent" in the police system. The weapon used in the attack has been secured; the man did not have a weapons permit.
A murder squad has been established. Police have also set up an information portal through which witnesses can submit information to investigators.