5 dead, plus unborn child, in shooting at Jehovah's Witness hall in Germany: Police

The shooting took place in Hamburg, police said.

March 10, 2023, 3:53 PM

Five people were killed, as well as 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.

PHOTO: Police officers on the scene of a shooting in Hamburg, Germany, March 9, 2023.
Police officers on the scene of a shooting in Hamburg, Germany, March 9, 2023.
Jonas Walzberg/dpa via Newscom

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.

PHOTO: Police secures the area after at least six people are dead and several more injured in a shooting in the northern German city of Hamburg, Germany, March 9, 2023.
Police secures the area after a shooting in the northern German city of Hamburg, Germany, March 9, 2023.
Fabian Bimmer/Reuters

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.

PHOTO: Armed police officers and emergency services near the scene of a shooting in Hamburg, Germany on March 9, 2023 after one or more people opened fire in a church.
Armed police officers and emergency services near the scene of a shooting in Hamburg, Germany on March 9, 2023 after one or more people opened fire in a church.
Jonas Walzberg/AP

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.

ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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