The police of the Hanseatic city speaks of a large location in the Alsterdorf district. The crime apparently happened at an event organized by Jehovah's Witnesses.
Several people were killed and injured when shots were fired in a church in northern Hamburg on Thursday evening. The police were not yet able to provide any information on the total number of victims. The "Bild" newspaper reported seven dead and eight injured.
"The dead all have gunshot wounds," said a police spokesman. The perpetrator may also be among the dead. After the officers arrived at the scene, another shot was fired on Thursday evening, a police spokesman said. A fatally injured person was later found on an upper floor of the building. There are indications that this could be the perpetrator. But there is no certainty yet.
According to a dpa reporter, the rescue workers carried people out of a Jehovah's Witnesses building. The incident happened in the Alsterdorf district of Hamburg. According to the police, there is no reliable information about the background or the motive for the crime. "We ask that you do not share unsecured assumptions and/or spread rumours," police wrote on Twitter.
"At the moment the situation has calmed down," said a police spokesman. Patrol cars with blue lights cordoned off the crime scene in the evening. Patrol officers with submachine guns additionally secured the area.
An official hazard announcement by the Hamburg Interior Ministry initially spoke of an "extreme danger". "Around 9:00 p.m. today, one or more unknown perpetrators shot people in a church," the text said. The police were informed by telephone about the shots at around 9:15 p.m. A special unit of the riot police, which was nearby, went into the object.
What kind of event was held in the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is also still unclear. The police spokesman said: "Several people were in the building during the event."
The streets at the crime scene were cordoned off extensively. The police asked: "Avoid the danger area. In the danger area, stay where you are and do not go outside for the time being." In addition, the emergency number 110 should only be used in extreme emergencies or for relevant observations.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) was dismayed by the shots. "The reports from Alsterdorf / Groß Borstel are shocking," Tschentscher wrote on Twitter on Thursday evening. "My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrators and clarify the background." Tschentscher called on citizens to heed the police's instructions.
