Shots in the Upper Palatinate: Two government employees shot dead during a gun check

An employee of the Neumarkt district office was shot during a weapons check in the Upper Palatinate. It was initially announced in the evening that an employee was fatally injured. As a spokesman for the police headquarters later said, the colleague, who was initially thought to be seriously injured, also died. “We assume that she died immediately as a result of the shooting.”

The situation in which the body was found speaks for this. It has now been recovered from the house in Berngau, Upper Palatinate, where the armed suspect is still staying. The police did not provide any further details about the identity of the victims for the time being.

The police and emergency services received several emergency calls around 2 p.m. because of the sounds of gunfire. As a result, the police surrounded the building and a special operations team drove to Berngau in an armored vehicle, among other things, and police helicopters were also in use.

The suspected shooter has been barricaded in a residential building since the crime. The man had withdrawn, a police spokesman said in the evening. Due to tactical considerations, such an operation could take longer, the spokesman explained.

The emergency services are currently not expecting any further deaths or injuries. “There is no other person in his immediate vicinity who is at risk,” said the spokesman. “We have contact with him, the contact goes both ways.” He also explained: "We always try to bring about a peaceful solution, which basically takes place through communication. The alternative is clear to everyone. But the aim is definitely to create a non-violent solution."

Police: People in the area should stay in their houses

According to the officials, it was a routine check on the gun owner. Among other things, it is checked whether the weapons are stored correctly. According to current findings, the man is said to have opened fire during the check in the afternoon and shot at the two employees of the district office before barricading himself in his home.

The police asked people in the area not to leave their homes or at least to avoid the cordoned off area around the suspect's house.