A Bundeswehr soldier is suspected of having shot four people in the Rotenburg (Wümme) district of Lower Saxony. The Rotenburg police and the Verden public prosecutor’s office said a child was among the dead discovered on Friday. According to “Bild”, the dead are the suspect’s ex-partner, her new partner and his mother.
The shots are said to have been fired on Friday night in two communities in the Rotenburg (Wümme) district. There are two crime scenes – one in a single-family home in Westervesede in the municipality of Scheeßel and one in Bothel. It remained unclear whether the suspect had last lived there.
“A motive in the family environment cannot be ruled out,” said the press release. A police spokesman had previously spoken of a “family story”.
Bundeswehr soldier shoots four people – police operation in barracks
In the morning there was also an operation at the Von Düring barracks in Rotenburg, where, among others, the 91st Jäger Battalion is stationed. In front of the barracks, investigators are examining a vehicle for traces, as the dpa reporter observed.
The police suspected explosives and ammunition in the suspect’s car – and found them. There is said to have been a Molotov cocktail in the side compartment of the driver’s door. The public prosecutor’s office initially did not provide any information as to whether the suspect’s weapon came from the Bundeswehr’s possession.
The suspected attacker turned himself in after the crime on Friday night and was arrested, the investigators said. Further details about the arrest initially remained open. Investigators initially did not provide any information about the suspect’s age or nationality.
The police launched a major operation around 3:30 a.m., and state and federal police were also on duty. “Everything that was available was in use,” said the spokesman. There is currently no longer any danger to the population.
sh/with agency material
