Updated Mar 10, 2023 - World

Shooter kills at least 7 people at church in Germany

Shawna Chen

Photo of law enforcement officers gathered outside a building that has been cordoned off with red police tape — Police officers gather at the scene of a shooting in the Alsterdorf district of Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday. Photo: Gregor Fischer via Getty Images

A shooting at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday left seven victims dead and multiple others injured — some seriously, local police said.

The latest: Hamburg Police said early Friday they found a body they believe to be the suspect inside the church.

The big picture: The shooting in the country's second-largest city occurred at about 9pm local time, German tabloid Bild reported.

Special forces were deployed alongside local police, Andy Grote, the interior minister for Hamburg, tweeted late Thursday.

What we're watching: Police said they had not immediately identified a motive for the shooting.

Worth noting: Mass shootings are rare in Germany. Between 1998 and 2019, Germany recorded five mass shootings compared to 101 in the U.S, a 2022 study found.

What they're saying: Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher called the reports "shocking" and offered his condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

"The emergency services are working ... to track down the perpetrator(s)," Tschentscher tweeted.

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Shooter kills at least 7 people at church in Germany

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