Multiple Casualties After Mass Shooting in German Jehovah's Witness Church

Authorities refused to reveal the number of deceased but said the gunman was believed to be among the dead.

The incident occurred in the Gross Borstel neighborhood, located a few kilometers to the north of the central area in Germany's second-largest city.

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Several people were killed in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness church in Northern Germany's Hamburg late night on Thursday, 9 March. The police said that while the motive for the attack is uncertain, the gunman acted alone and it remains unclear if he is among the six or seven deaths reported by local German media.

The incident occurred in the Gross Borstel neighborhood, located a few kilometers to the north of the central area in Germany's second-largest city.

According to Holger Vehren, the police spokesperson, multiple individuals lost their lives, while several others sustained injuries and were transported to hospitals. However, he was unable to provide any details regarding the extent of the wounded's injuries.

The Hamburg police took to Twitter and indicated that they suspected the deceased person they discovered may have been the perpetrator. “In order to rule out the involvement of further perpetrators, we are conducting comprehensive checks and searches,” they said.

According to Germany's DPA news agency, which referenced an on-site reporter, inhabitants of Hamburg's northern Alsterdorf received alerts on their mobile phones regarding a "life-threatening situation" and that streets had been cordoned off.

Television footage showed dozens of police cars as well as fire engines blocking off streets and some people, wrapped in blankets, being led by emergency service workers into a bus.

“We heard shots,” one unnamed witness told reporters. “There were 12 continuous shots,” he said. “Then we saw how people were taken away in black bags.”