A shooter identified as Philipp F has killed seven people at a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany on Friday, March 10, according to German authorities.
The killings in the northern German city occurred around 9 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) with police initially unsure how many shooters might have been involved but later updates showed it was just one attacker, who died at the scene.
He was a former member of the community who had ‘ill feelings’ but said the former member of the Christian group had left the community about 18 months ago, police have said.
After being called to the building, police saw dead and injured people on the bottom floor where an event was taking place, Hamburg police spokesman Holger Vehren told NTV.
An unborn is among the victims of the Jehovah’s Witness gun massacre in German after a former member killed seven people and left eight injured.
The unborn baby died in Thursday’s attack but the mother survived.
Officers also heard a shot on the top floor of the building when they first entered it and found a dead person upstairs.
He is said to have fired more than 100 bullets.
More footage from the scene showed numerous armed police officers inside and around the Kingdom Hall while a helicopter flew overhead.
A bomb disposal team was deployed at one point.
Four men and two women were shot dead, police have said.
A seven-month-old foetus was directly hit while in the womb and perished. However, its mother managed to survive the attack.
All those killed were Germans. Eight people were injured.
The BBC has reported that Philip F was a ‘sports shooter’ and had a gun licence. His body was found inside the building shortly after police arrived on the scene.
Police searched his unit and found 15 rounds of ammunition, reported The Sun.
German police are said to have received a tip off about the gunman prior to the shooting but did not have enough grounds to take action and instead gave him a verbal warning.
The streets around the place of worship have been cordoned off, and police earlier warned of ‘extreme danger’ in the area, the spokesperson added.
‘Eight people are dead – including the alleged perpetrator,’ Hamburg’s police said in a statement.
‘Other people were injured in the incident, some seriously.’
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany said in a statement: ‘The religious community is deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members at the Kingdom Hall in Hamburg after a religious service.
‘At present, we believe there is one perpetrator,’ Hamburg police said in their latest update on their Twitter account, hours after armed officers scoured the scene for evidence and suspects.
‘All police measures in the vicinity are being successively discontinued. The investigation into the circumstances of the crime continues.’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denouncing the shooting said in a statement: ‘Several members of a Jehovah community fell victim to a brutal act of violence last night. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones,’ he wrote on Twitter.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson wrote on Twitter: ‘A shocking attack on a church in GrossBorstel, Hamburg last night. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.
‘Thanks to @PolizeiHamburg who responded to the attack immediately and with incredible bravery.’
There is ‘no confirmed information on the motive for the crime,’ police said on Twitter as they urged people not to share any unconfirmed assumptions.
