Six people were fatally shot at a youth centre housing a mother and child unit on Monday, June 29th, according to German police.
The German-born suspect, who is of Turkish descent, was reportedly involved in a custody dispute over his baby daughter. After meeting staff at the centre in Stade, Lower Saxony, he allegedly returned with a firearm and shot dead four employees. A fifth victim died despite attempts to resuscitate them at the scene, while a sixth later died in hospital.
Speaking to reporters, Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens described the attack as
an act of violence carried out in an extremely cold-blooded manner, with no political or economic motives.
Police arrested the 45-year-old suspect along with two other people, including a female family friend who is believed to have acted as the getaway driver.
According to police, the Hanover-based shooting suspect was known to the authorities in connection with previous threats but was not regarded as a particularly violent individual. He did not hold a firearms licence.
