STADE, Germany — A 45-year-old gunman opened fire at a mother-and-child welfare center in the northern city of Stade on Monday, killing six people in what authorities describe as a “cold-blooded” act stemming from a bitter family custody dispute.
The victims—four women and two men—were all staff members at the youth welfare facility located on Dankerstrasse, near Hamburg. Several other individuals were wounded in the attack.
Remarkably, the suspect’s three-month-old daughter and her mother, who were inside the office during the shooting, escaped physically unharmed.
The Investigation and Arrests
Local police received reports of gunfire at approximately 12:10 local time (10:10 GMT). Five of the victims died at the scene, while a sixth succumbed to their injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital. All of the deceased were adults.
Following a swift response, German police detained three individuals, including the primary suspected gunman. Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister, Daniela Behrens, confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public.
“This was an act of violence carried out in an extremely cold-blooded manner, with no political or economic motives. It appears to have been committed purely for family reasons.”
— Daniela Behrens, Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister