Seven dead, including unborn child, in shooting at Jehovah’s Witness hall in Germany: Police

(HAMBURG, Germany) — Seven people were killed, including an unborn child, in a mass shooting at a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday evening, police said.

Eight people were also injured in the shooting, said police, including the pregnant mother of the unborn child. The 33-year-old woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, suffered serious injuries, according to police.

Three of those injured suffered life-threatening injuries, while four others — including the mother — suffered serious injuries. One man suffered minor injuries, police said.

A suspected shooter was found dead in a community center, according to police, who initially conducted searches to “rule out the involvement of other perpetrators.” Authorities now believe he acted alone.

The 35-year-old man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on an upper floor of the building where the shooting took place, police said Friday. He had no known connection to terrorism.

Police said the six adults who died were between the ages of 33 and 60.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m., according to an alert from the city of Hamburg.

The streets around the building were cordoned off and residents were advised to avoid the area and shelter in place “for the time being,” the alert said. Police later began lifting shelter-in-place orders in the city.

Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher called reports of the deadly shooting “shocking” and offered his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims.

“The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background,” he said in a statement earlier Thursday.

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