A routine welfare meeting at a children's shelter in northern Germany turned into a mass killing on Monday, leaving six social workers dead and a nation in shock. Authorities have since issued an arrest warrant against the 45-year-old suspect, as new details emerge about the events that may have driven him to the attack.
The shooting took place at a residential shelter for mothers and children in Stade, a town in Lower Saxony. The suspect, identified by Der Spiegel as 45-year-old Fatih Khan G., a Turkish national born in Germany and a resident of Garbsen near Hannover, had been called in for a care planning meeting.
Present at the discussion were staff from the facility as well as representatives from the Hannover regional youth welfare office. Without warning, he drew a firearm and opened fire on those present with the deliberate intent to kill them, according to prosecutors.
Five victims died at the scene. A sixth succumbed to injuries later in hospital. Among the dead were four women and two men. The suspect fled the scene by car but was intercepted and arrested by police shortly after.
At the heart of the case was a bitter custody dispute over the suspect's three-month-old daughter. Both the infant and her 34-year-old mother had been living at the shelter, which is designed to house mothers and young children in need of support. The couple had separated, and the custody matter had already been before a court twice, with rulings issued in April and May.
According to Der Spiegel, the suspect had been accused of shaking the infant, a form of severe child abuse that can cause lasting brain damage or death. A doctor reportedly confirmed injuries on the baby consistent with this. Separately, Die Welt reported that the suspect had previously confronted doctors at the clinic where the child was being treated, threatening that he would hold medical staff personally responsible if anything happened to his daughter.
An investigation into that behaviour was opened but later closed. Notably, both the child and her mother were present at the facility during the attack but were left unharmed.
The Stade district court has formally issued an arrest warrant against the suspect on six counts of murder. Prosecutors cited the presence of aggravating factors under German law, specifically treachery and base motives, as the basis for classifying the killings as murder rather than manslaughter. He has since been transferred to a detention facility. Two women who had initially been held in connection with the case were subsequently released without charge.
On Tuesday evening, several hundred residents gathered at St. Wilhadi Church in Stade for a memorial service honouring the six victims. The service was open to members of the public alongside those directly affected by the tragedy and the emergency responders who attended the scene. State Bishop Ralf Meister was among those expected to attend, as mourners brought flowers and lit candles in remembrance.
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