STADE, Germany (AFP) — A gunman killed six people on Monday in a German youth welfare center for mothers and their children in what police said was a likely “family tragedy,” before the male suspect and a female companion were arrested.

The deadly shooting spree sparked a major police operation in the northern city of Stade, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Hamburg.

The six people killed were all adults, among them one who succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, while another person was wounded and in stable condition, a police spokesman told AFP.

“A male principal offender and a female companion” were arrested, he said, while a separate police statement mentioned a third suspect being held.

The police spokesman told AFP that investigators believed “it is not a case of femicide, nor does it involve a political background or anything of that nature. Rather, it is an extended family tragedy.”

N24 television cited witnesses as saying that police deployed to the building after an emergency call and spotted two suspects who attempted to flee in a car, leading police to open fire.

One eyewitness told the news site Focus Online that police shouted “stop where you are” at the man and woman attempting to flee, then fired some 10 to 15 rounds at the vehicle.

A separate amateur video........

© The Times of Israel