German police kill armed cinema shooter, hostages released unhurt

Initial reports had referred to dozens of wounded people and several shots fired, and police dispatched heavily armed special units to the site equipped with helmets and bulletproof vests.

German state television reports that a masked gunman entered the theater complex around just after 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern).

No patrons of a German cinema stormed by an armed man were hurt and all have been released, Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth said. They said the man appeared to have been a confused individual who was acting alone. Mass circulation newspaper Bild said that 25 people had been injured by tear gas used by police as they were storming the building.

Police in southwestern Germany shot dead a suspect who entered a movie theatre on Thursday and tried to take hostages.

The attacker then went into one of the cinemas from where the shots were reported.

She had no information on the assailant’s identity and motives. All the hostages eventually escaped when the police arrived, and it is unclear if his gun was loaded with real bullets, or he was simply firing blanks.

A large number of special forces and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene at the Kinopolis in Viernheim near Frankfurt.

Beuth also said, “The police had an emergency call at 2:45pm”. A gunman was shot by police after he took hostages in the complex.

Gas pistols and other less-than-lethal weapons have became increasingly popular in Germany, where strict gun control laws limit people’s access to deadly firearms. The Rhein Neckar Zentrum Vienheim shopping complex hosts 20,000 visitors daily, according to its website.