Deaths Reported In German Church Shooting
By Jason Hall
March 9, 2023
Several fatalities have been reported in relation to a shooting incident at a church in the Alsterdorf district of Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday (March 9), local police said via NBC News.
"According to initial findings, a shot was fired in a church on Deelböge street in the #GroßBorstel district. Several people were seriously injured, some even fatally. We are on site with a large contingent of forces. Further information follows," Hamburg Police said in a translated tweet.
The department later shared an update stating that "there is no reliable information on the motive for the crime" and asked the public to "not share unsecured assumptions and/or spread" rumors in relation to the incident.
Bislang liegen keine gesicherten Informationen zu dem Tatmotiv vor.
— Polizei Hamburg (@PolizeiHamburg) March 9, 2023
Wir bitten darum, keine ungesicherten Vermutungen zu teilen und/oder Gerüchte zu streuen. #schießerei #hh0903
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher called the reports shared by local authorities "shocking" and offered his "deepest condolences to the families of the victims" in a translated tweet.
"The emergency services are working flat out to track down the perpetrator (s) and to clarify the background. Please note the information of @PolizeiHamburg," Tschentscher wrote.
Die Meldungen aus Alsterdorf / Groß Borstel sind erschütternd. Den Angehörigen der Opfer gilt mein tiefes Mitgefühl. Die Einsatzkräfte arbeiten mit Hochdruck an der Verfolgung des / der Täter & der Aufklärung der Hintergründe. Bitte beachten Sie die Hinweise der @PolizeiHamburg. https://t.co/38UcdguLzH
— Peter Tschentscher (@TschenPe) March 9, 2023
The German KATWARN system issued an alert at around 9:00 p.m. local time urging all citizens to avoid the area as it was being blocked off.
The Alsterdorf district is located approximately seven miles from downtown Hamburg, which is Germany's second-largest city and has a population greater than 5 million in its metropolitan region, according to data from the Council of Europe.