German cinema complex shooting: What we know now
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least 25 people were injured during an incident at a movie theater in a town in southwestern Germany, local media are reporting.
Reuters reported that a masked man with a gun and an ammunition belt opened fire Thursday at the theater in Viernheim, near Frankfurt. The shooter entered the cinema around 3 p.m. local time, authorities said.
Some news outlets reported that up to 50 people might have been injured, but details about the injuries were not immediately clear.
According to CNN, tear gas was used during the incident and is likely the cause of all the injuries. No reports confirmed any victims as being shot.
Around 10:30 a.m EDT, Reuters reported that the masked man had barricaded himself inside the theater.
Within the next hour, German Interior Minister Peter Beuth said the suspect, who has not been identified, had been shot and killed by police. The suspect's motivations are unknown.
Police shot the man dead after elite forces stormed the complex, disrupting a situation in which the suspect had taken hostages at the cinema, Reuters reported. Police spokeswoman Christiane Kobus said she didn't have a precise number of hostages, but the hostages were not harmed.
Officers "successively entered the cinema and were able to locate the man and the people he was holding," Kobus told The Associated Press. "There was a threat situation and the man was then shot dead by a colleague."
Another police spokesman, Bernd Hochstaedter, said that "there are no indications at present of an Islamist background."
The German cinema is part of a popular shopping center, Kinopolis, that houses more than 100 businesses. The complex hosts 20,000 visitors daily, according to its website.
More Stories
The Latest
