Several people were injured after a gunman opened fire at a lecture hall at Heidelberg University in southwestern Germany. The perpetrator is now dead. Mannheim police, in a statement, said, “A lone perpetrator injured several people in a lecture hall with a long gun. The perpetrator is dead.”
The area has been cordoned off and a major police operation was underway. “Colleagues are still on site with strong forces – we will provide further information here,” the statement read.
Taking to their Twitter handle, the police urged people to clear the area “so that rescue workers and emergency services can travel freely”.
The police asked motorists to drive around Neuenheimer Feld in Heidelberg to help rescue workers and emergency services reach the scene.
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This is not the first time that a shooting has taken place at a university. Earlier in December, a 5-year-old student opened fire at his Michigan high school, killing three teenagers and wounding eight other people. This was considered the deadliest US school shooting on the year 2021.
The suspect was taken into custody and a semi-automatic handgun was seized. However, there was no immediate explanation for what might have prompted the attack in Oxford.
“There was no resistance during the arrest and the suspect has asked for a lawyer and has not made any statements as to a motive,” the sheriff’s office said.
(With inputs from agencies)
