Courtroom Shooting Ends in Death

PASSAU, Germany, April 7, 2009— -- One person died and several others suffered severe injures in a shooting rampage today at the local courthouse in Landshut, Germany, where a gunman ran amok before shooting himself to death, officials said.

The 60-year-old gunman, whom police have yet to name publicly, had been sitting in one of the courtrooms when he suddenly got up, pulled a gun and began the alleged shooting spree, according to authorities.

The man, who's from the nearby town of Dingolfing, allegedly killed a woman, said to be his sister-in-law, and injured several people, among them his sister-in-law's lawyer, the local prosecutor said.

The prosecutor told reporters at a news conference today that the man and his sister-in-law were involved in a legal battle about inheritance issues to be handled today at the court, which is in a small town 45 miles northeast of Munich.

Police arrived at the courthouse minutes after they received the first emergency calls shortly after 10 a.m. local time.

The building was evacuated immediately and the area was cordoned off.

Minutes after the shooting began, two blood-stained people were seen coming out of the building. They were rushed to the local hospital.

Police spokesman Leonhard Mayer told reporters in Landshut there was no warning ahead of the shooting. "It came out of the blue sky," he said.

Officials have not identified a motive for the shooting and law enforcement officials are at the crime scene investigating the incident.

Today's shooting comes about one month after a 17-year-old student killed nine students and three teachers at his former high school in the small town of Winnenden, in southwestern Germany, before fatally shooting three others.

He then killed himself during an exchange of gunfire with police.

That tragic school shooting left the entire country in shock and prompted many people to call for stricter gun control laws.

The parents and relatives of the victims from Winnenden have published an open letter in the local newspaper, calling for politicians to act swiftly to re-evaluate new regulations for gun control, but not much has happened since.