Attack in Germany
It happened inside a theatre complex in the town of Viernhiem in southwest Germany, near Frunkfurt. A gunman burst into the Kinopolis cinema complex at 2:40 pm as the day’s first screenings were set to begin.
Witnesses say the gunman had an automatic weapon and wore a mask and munitions belt and began firing into the air. There are no reports he fired directly into any of those he encountered.
Some reports said he took hostages and officials say police special forces shot the man because they believed hostages may have been taken and because he had a weapon and had fired it.
Injuries from tear gas
The details of exactly what took place afterwards are sketchy but all German publications reporting on the incident say no one other than the gunman was killed. Police stormed the complex and shot the gunman dead.
Some reports stated there were no injuries but others said about 20 people inside were injured, still others put the number as high as 50. Any injuries were not from the gunfire but from tear gas used by police and none of the injuries are considered life-threatening.
Many witnesses suggested the attacker may have been mentally disturbed — one witness said he appeared to be “mentally unstable” — and the shooting may not have been related to terrorism.
However, such a scenario has not been confirmed by police, who are investigating the incident.
