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The Hamburg shooter, 35-year-old Philipp F., was an ex-member of the Hamburg community of Jehovah's Witnesses. He left this one and a half years ago voluntarily, but obviously not on good terms, it said at a press conference on Friday. In the act on Thursday, seven people died and the perpetrator himself, eight other people were injured. The police also counted an unborn child among the dead.
Eight dead in Hamburg - Schütze used to be a Jehovah's Witness © provided by APA
Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) described the act as a killing spree: "A killing spree of this dimension – we've never seen it before. It's the worst crime, the worst crime in our city's recent history." The gunman had fired more than 100 times. The fatalities are said to be four men, two women and a female fetus aged 28 weeks. The men and women are between 33 and 60 years old, said the head of state security for the police, Thomas Radszuzweit. "All of the fatalities are German nationals and died as a result of gunshots."
The fatal shots were fired around 9 p.m. on Thursday evening during an event in the community building in Hamburg’s Alsterdorf district. The police were at the scene within minutes: the first emergency calls came in at 9:04 p.m. "At 9:08 p.m. the first forces were on site," said Grote. Only a minute later, at 9:09 p.m., the emergency patrol was at the scene of the crime.
According to the interior senator, the emergency services very likely saved a number of lives: "It is very likely that we owe it to the very, very quick and decisive intervention of the police emergency services that there are no more victims to be lamented." Investigators were out looking for clues at the scene of the crime until Friday morning. The bodies have since been removed.
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According to information from security circles, the alleged shooter was not known to be an extremist. Police President Ralf Martin Meyer said he had been in legal possession of a pistol since December 12. It was the murder weapon.
According to Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer, the weapons authority received anonymous information in January that Philipp F. might be mentally ill. The unknown person also wrote that the mental illness may not have been medically diagnosed because F. is not seeking medical treatment. According to the letter, he was particularly angry with religious followers, especially Jehovah's Witnesses and his former employer.
The officials of the weapons authority would have researched further after the tip. At the beginning of February, F. was visited unannounced by two officials from the weapons authority. This was a standard check that took place after an anonymous tip. Meyer said he was cooperative. There were no relevant complaints. The legal possibilities had been exhausted.
The 35-year-old fired more than 100 shots on Thursday evening. "In total, he fired 9 magazines with 15 rounds each," said Radszuweit, head of state security in Hamburg.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the police also found a large quantity of ammunition in the apartment of the alleged perpetrator after the shots were fired. The head of the public prosecutor's office, Ralf Peter Anders, spoke of 15 loaded magazines, each with 15 cartridges and four boxes of ammunition with a further 200 cartridges. In addition, laptops and smartphones were secured, which would still be evaluated.
The investigators do not rule out possible conflicts within the religious community. Police chief Meyer said there were indications of a dispute "possibly from the area of Jehovah's Witnesses". That had to be checked, nothing was found in the files. Radszuweit said the issue of disputes is currently under investigation. According to him, the gunman Philipp F. left the Hamburg community voluntarily a year and a half ago, "but obviously not for the better."
The Jehovah's Witnesses were "deeply concerned" in a statement. Numerous national and international politicians were shocked and concerned about the deadly incident, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
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