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Germany: Hamburg shooting leaves 2 dead

March 26, 2023

German police said they had concluded an operation and were now investigating after the shooting in the northern port city.

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Police at the scene of the shooting
According to media, 28 emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene of the shooting Image: Jonas Walzberg/dpa/picture alliance

German police on Sunday said two men died from gunshots after an incident late on Saturday in the port city of Hamburg.

It is the second  deadly shooting incident to spark a major police alert in the city this month.

What we know so far

The prosecutor's office in Hamburg said one of the dead was believed to be the alleged shooter. It is believed that the shooter fired several shots at the other man, before turning the gun on himself. 

Police said they had concluded an initial response and were now investigating the incident. Officers were said to have discovered the two dead men on a pathway between two apartment buildings. Both were said to have succumbed to their gunshot wounds instantly.

The gunman was aged 50 and his victim 42, police said later on Sunday. The men knew each other before the deadly incident, they added. 

However, officials made no statement about whether the men had links with the German rocker scene, as some media outlets had reported. The rocker scene in Germany has grown considerably since the turn of the millennium. It includes some gangs with criminal links and there are fierce rivalries between certain groups.

According to Germany's Bild newspaper, police were called shortly before midnight to the scene of the shooting in the city's Langenhorn district. The report said more than two dozen vehicles attended the scene.

Earlier shooting prompts gun control debate

Earlier this month, a 35-year-old German man shot and killed four men, two women and an unborn baby during an evening congregation meeting at a Jehova's Witness hall in the city. The mother of the unborn baby survived but was badly injured. The attacker fatally turned the gun on himself as police closed in.

Does Germany need gun reform? 

The killings prompted several German politicians demanded urgent reviews of restrictions on weapons ownership. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had already presented a draft of new gun control legislation in January, prompted by recent deadly shooting incidents in Germany.

rc/wd (Reuters, dpa)