Police officers deployed near the site of a shooting incident in Stade, northern Germany, on the 29th [AFP=Yonhap News File Photo] Reuters and other foreign media outlets reported that a shooting rampage in a small town in northern Germany on the 29th (local time) left six people dead.

Local police stated that the shooting occurred at a youth welfare center in Stade, near Hamburg, resulting in the deaths of six adults and leaving several others injured.

Police explained that five people, including four women and one man, died at the scene, while one additional person passed away after being transported to the hospital. All of the deceased were staff members at the youth facility. It was reported that the death toll could rise as many of the injured are in critical condition.

In a press conference held that evening, police announced, "We have arrested three suspects related to the incident, including the shooter." They identified the primary suspect as a 45-year-old German national of Turkish descent, noting that he had been involved in a custody dispute over his three-month-old daughter.

Police stated that at the time of the incident, the suspect’s three-month-old daughter and the child's mother were also in the facility's office but were unharmed.

Local media reported that the youth welfare center where the shooting took place includes facilities that support vulnerable women with young children.

Authorities were initially concerned as there were daycares and elementary schools near the site of the shooting, but fortunately, the children were not affected.

A large-scale police operation was underway near the scene at the time of the incident. Witnesses reported that one man and one woman were apprehended by police while attempting to flee the area in a vehicle.

Stade is a city located 40 km from Hamburg with a population of less than 50,000.

While mass shootings are rare in Germany compared to countries like the United States, there have been several incidents that resulted in multiple fatalities.

In 2023, a gunman killed six people at a Jehovah's Witness hall in Hamburg before taking his own life, and in 2016, an 18-year-old German-Iranian man killed nine people in Munich.