The police in the western German city of Recklinghausen shot an alleged attacker with a knife, the law enforcement authorities reported, quoted by DPA and BTA.
According to initial data, the 33-year-old man went on a rampage in an apartment block last night, the police said.
Eyewitnesses said he had a knife.
When the police arrived at the scene, a dangerous situation arose and "as a result, a firearm was used against the 33-year-old,", the message says.
The case has been handed over to the criminal department of the police in the neighboring city of Dortmund to ensure impartiality in the investigation.
The incident comes just days after three people were killed and eight injured in a knife attack in the western city of Solingen.
On Tuesday, an attacker armed with knives was shot dead by police in another similar incident, this time in Moers, also a city in western Germany.