Attack in Hamburg: Suspected perpetrator found dead, two people injured
A 68-year-old man is believed to have shot two people in Hamburg. He was later found dead in a hotel room at the Elbphilharmonie. Two further bodies were discovered in a house in Baden-Württemberg.
Shooting in Hamburg's HafenCity
A man shot two people on Tuesday morning at around 9.00 a.m. in Hamburg. Police were alerted after a previously unknown perpetrator shot a 40-year-old employee of a security company on a pavement near the Elbphilharmonie. Shortly afterwards, emergency responders discovered a 39-year-old woman in the underground car park with life-threatening injuries. Both victims were transported to hospital — the woman is no longer in life-threatening condition, and the man's condition is stable.
Suspected perpetrator found dead in hotel room
Following the attack, police launched an intensive search for the perpetrator. They received information that a suspicious person was in a hotel room at the Elbphilharmonie. Within minutes before emergency responders reached the building, they found the 68-year-old suspected perpetrator from Baden-Württemberg dead. The man was found dead in his hotel room.
Two bodies discovered in Baden-Württemberg
Parallel to investigations in Hamburg, police discovered two further bodies in a house in Eningen unter Achalm near Reutlingen. According to Reutlingen police, these were the 65-year-old wife and 90-year-old father-in-law of the suspected perpetrator. The authorities believe the 68-year-old also killed these two family members before travelling to Hamburg.
Farewell letter cites family reasons
Investigators found a farewell letter in the letterboxes of a house near the Elbphilharmonie. The letter was available to the German Press Agency. In it, the 68-year-old justified his act with the takeover of his company by his son. The man wrote: "Since I will receive only a very small pension, I have committed extended suicide." According to current findings, the letter contains no statements regarding the two family members killed in Baden-Württemberg.
Tagesspiegel.de reports that the Hamburg murder commission is investigating at full speed and is in contact with authorities in Baden-Württemberg. Police believe the suspected perpetrator's motive lies in the family sphere.
The man's criminal record was known to the courts
The 68-year-old was not unknown to the justice system. Reutlingen Regional Court had sentenced him in November of the previous year to a total prison sentence of two years and five months — for fraud. The judgement was not final, as the man had appealed. A hearing before Tübingen Regional Court had begun on 7 October, but was suspended due to further necessary investigations. Following the defendant's death, the proceedings will probably be terminated by decree according to a Landgericht spokesperson. The man had also previously been sentenced to two months' imprisonment on probation for deliberately driving without a driving licence, and this sentence had become final.
Elbphilharmonie evacuated and reopened
Following the attack, the Elbphilharmonie was partially evacuated on Tuesday afternoon. Emergency responders accompanied guests from the observation deck and from the hotel. Several children were in the building — police reported a mid-range two-digit number. They were looked after by police. A school concert in the small hall took place during the operation. After the police operation concluded, the Elbphilharmonie resumed normal operations. Tuesday evening events took place as scheduled. There have been no restrictions on the observation deck and in the concert area since then.
Source: Die Zeit Kriminalität