Stade shooting: Six dead at youth welfare centre in northern Germany

Four women are among six people killed in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in Stade, northern Germany, police have said.

The women and one man were shot dead inside the facility, police said, and a sixth person later died of their injuries in hospital. All the victims were adults.

The suspected shooter has been arrested and two other individuals are also being investigated. The possible motive of the perpetrator was not immediately clear.

Officials said there was no further threat to the public after Monday’s shooting just west of Hamburg. German media reported that the facility housed women and children.

“Homicides involving multiple victims occurred at a youth welfare facility” on Dankersstrasse, local police said in a statement at 14:15 local time (12:15 GMT) on Monday.

“The area is cordoned off, and a large police presence is on site,” the statement said. Police also urged the public to avoid the area.

A police spokesman later said that there were also injured people, without providing further details.

Large numbers of emergency personnel were deployed to the scene.

German broadcasters ZDF and RTL reported a city spokesperson had said children at a nearby daycare were inside at the time of the shooting, and “school-aged children” had since been collected by their parents.

The city in the state of Lower Saxony is located about 30km (19 miles) west of Hamburg, and has a population of about 50,000 people.