Stade shooting latest: Five people killed and two detained after attack on youth centre in Germany – UK Times

Police spokesman Matthias Bekermann has offered a little more clarity on what happened at the scene of the shooting.

Here is a brief breakdown of what he said, according to FOCUS Online.

• Shots were first fired at the facility at around 12:10pm local time (11:10am BST)
• Police patrol cars were immediately dispatched to the scene
• The shooter was seen there, before they fled, leading to a brief police chase
• The suspect and an accomplice were apprehended and soon afterwards arrested. Both now remain in custody.
• The role of the accomplice is still under investigation, and police have not confirmed their gender.

We can now bring you more details about the victims, after policve spokesman Matthias Bekermann has been speaking to press on the scene.

Four of the victims died instantly after being shot, while the fifth died after succumbing to their injuries, despite medical treatment.

The Hamburger Morgenpost is reporting that the dead include four women and one man.

An eyewitness saw a man and a woman trying to flee the scene by car before being intercepted by police, the news site FOCUS online reported.

A police spokesperson subsequently confirmed this at the scene, the outlet said.

Mass shootings are relatively rare in Germany, especially when compared to the United States.

But the country, where gun laws permit the civilian ownership of handguns and certain semi-automatic rifles, has in recent years seen a spate of high-profile cases.

In 2023, a gunman in Hamburg shot dead six people before killing himself at a Jehovah’s Witness worship hall.

In 2016, an 18-year-old German-Iranian man who was obsessed with mass killings killed at least nine people in Munich.

Police now say they have set up a media area near the incident, where statements will be issued to reporters.

The area is at the corner of Dankerstrasse and Schulweg, near to where the shooting took place.

Police have urged the public not to share unverified reports regarding the police operation following the Stade shooting.

“Unconfirmed information regarding the police operation on Dankersstraße is currently circulating in various WhatsApp groups and on social media,” the force said in a statement.

“These circulating accounts do not reflect the facts as currently confirmed by the police.

“Please do not share unverified reports, voice messages, or rumors. Doing so can cause uncertainty and hinder police operations.”

Stade Police advised users to only take information from their official WhatsApp channels.

Five adults were killed in the shooting in Stade, which took place at a youth centre, police said.

It is ​unclear how ‌many ⁠people have ⁠been injured.