Five confirmed dead in shooting in German city of Stade, as two people are arrested

FIVE PEOPLE HAVE been killed in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in the northern German city of Stade. 

According to local police, the suspected gunman and a second alleged perpetrator have been arrested.

While the motive for the shooting is unclear, an investigation into what exactly happened remains ongoing.

There is no further danger for the public, police have said. 

As news of the shooting emerged, police confirmed that a major operation was underway in Central Stade.

Images show that a large contingent of police and ambulances were gathered in the city, while helicopters hovered overhead. 

In an earlier post on X, police asked individuals to give a “wide berth of the city centre” for their own safety. 

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The city has a population of around 50,000 people and is located 50km West of Hamburg. 

“We ask you to leave the area and give it a wide berth for your own safety,” police said in an earlier post on X.

Strictest gun laws in Europe

Germany has some of Europe’s strictest gun laws that require anyone under the age of 25 to pass a psychiatric exam before applying for a gun licence and mass shootings are relatively rare in the country. 

According to AFP, today’s shooting in Germany is one of the deadliest in recent years. 

In February 2020, a far-right extremist killed nine people and wounded five others in the central German city of Hanau.

In March 2023, a disgruntled former Jehovah’s Witness member shot and killed six people from the Christian group’s congregation in the German city of Hamburg, before turning the gun on himself.

Meanwhile, in May 2022, a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a secondary school in northern Germany, badly injuring a female member of staff before being arrested.

Additional reporting from AFP.

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