A shooting in the northern German city of Stade left several people dead on Monday, according to local police.<\/p>\n
What do we know so far about the shooting?<\/p>\n
Stade police said\u00a0that two people were arrested, including the suspected shooter. There were no other suspects on the run, the Reuters news agency cited a police spokesperson as saying.<\/p>\n
Several people were also injured in the shooting incident, but police did not give an exact number.<\/p>\n
The motive is not yet clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cShots were fired near a youth center in the city center,\u201d DPA quoted a police spokesperson as saying. The facility includes temporary accommodation for pregnant women or young mothers with children.<\/p>\n
Police and ambulances were quick to rush to the scene of the shootingImage: Fotoreport-DB\/NWM-TV\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/p>\n
Pictures from the scene of the shooting showed several emergency services personnel, ambulances and police cars.<\/p>\n
Stade police said in a statement shared on WhatsApp that a “major operation” was underway on Dankersstra\u00dfe, calling on citizens to steer clear of the area and follow the instructions of the emergency services on the scene.<\/p>\n
But later on Monday, police said there was now “no danger to the public.”<\/p>\n
Stade has about 50,000 inhabitants and is located west of Hamburg. <\/p>\n
Germany has very strict gun laws, among the strictest in Europe.<\/p>\n
Mass shootings are relatively rare in the country, but they occur from time to time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shooting on Monday was among the deadliest recently.<\/p>\n
Police warns of inaccurate information regarding shooting<\/p>\n
The police on Monday warned that unconfirmed information about the situation on the ground was being shared in chat groups and social media.<\/p>\n
“The accounts [of events]\u00a0currently circulating do not correspond to the facts as confirmed by the police,” it wrote in a WhatsApp statement.<\/p>\n
Police urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified reports, voice messages or\u00a0rumors.<\/p>\n
“This can cause uncertainty and hamper police operations,” officials\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru, Roshni Majumdar<\/p>\n