Two officers of the district administration in Neumarkt were killed during a gun check in Berngau, Bavaria. During the routine check, the owner of the weapons opened fire on them, German police and Bavarian Radio reported.
The victims are a 54-year-old female employee and a 45-year-old administrative employee. They were checking whether the man's weapons were stored in accordance with regulatory requirements. In the first hours after the shooting, police reported one dead and one seriously injured officer, but later confirmed that both had died.
Hours of negotiations and police operation
After the shooting, the suspect barricaded himself in an apartment building. The area was cordoned off, and special forces, an armored vehicle and a police helicopter participated in the operation. Residents were urged to stay in their homes and avoid the area around the building.
Police established telephone contact with the man and spoke with him for hours. "Our goal is, of course, to achieve the most bloodless possible solution, and that's why we are using this contact," said Michael Zaschka, spokesman for the Regensburg police department.
After the suspect refused to surrender without resistance, special forces stormed the building, also using explosives. During the arrest, the 60-year-old German citizen was slightly wounded in the leg by police shots. He was taken for medical treatment.
Motive still unknown
According to Bavarian Radio, the man confessed to the police that he fired the fatal shots. However, the reason for the attack has not yet been announced. “We cannot provide any information about the motive at the moment“, said a police spokesman, quoted by the German news agency DPA.
The reports of shots were received at around 2:00 p.m. local time. The two bodies were removed from the building, and the relatives of the deceased employees have been notified.
Sources: dariknews.bg, br.de, sueddeutsche.de