Gunman suspected of killing nine in Germany found dead inside home

Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach

A gunman suspected of killing at least nine people in shootings in the German city of Hanau has been found dead inside his home, along with another body, police said on Thursday.

The shootings occurred in two locations on Wednesday evening. A large police operation was launched to find the suspects, Southeast Hesse Police said.

Police said they received information about a fleeing vehicle after the shootings, and that the “alleged killer was found dead” in his apartment, along with “another corpse” early Thursday morning.

“The number of victims who were fatally injured at the crime scenes in Heumarkt and Kurt-Schumacher-Platz increased to nine, so that there are currently a total of eleven deaths. Investigations into the identity of the victims and the suspected perpetrator are ongoing,” the statement said.

The apartment has been blocked off and searched by special forces. There are no indications of other perpetrators, police said. They have not yet revealed any suspected motive for the killings.

The spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel also offered condolences Thursday to the victims’ families.”In our thoughts are we with the people in #Hanau this morning,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter.

“Deep sympathy goes to the families affected, who mourn the loss of their dead.”Hanau is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) east of Frankfurt.