A 45-year-old man shot and killed six youth welfare workers in Stade, northern Germany, on June 29, opening fire during a scheduled custody-related appointment for his three-month-old daughter, police said. A local court issued an arrest warrant on murder charges the following day.
Five victims died at the scene, including four women and one man. A sixth adult, who was a man, later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, bringing the final death toll to four women and two men. All were employees, a police official confirmed. One other individual was wounded in the attack and is in stable condition.
🇩🇪 Yesterday, a Turkish Muslim with Lebanese-Kurdish roots shot 6 dead at a Stade mother-child welfare facility, 4 women and 2 men, all staff.
Police describe it as a custody dispute turned mass shooting
The suspect arrived for a scheduled meeting about his 3-month-old… pic.twitter.com/mopf648BrW
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 30, 2026
The suspect, a Turkish national born in Germany, had a care plan meeting scheduled at the facility involving center staff and a Hannover regional youth welfare office representative, police said. He arrived armed with a concealed firearm. His three-month-old daughter and her 34-year-old mother were both present but unharmed. The daughter was placed in youth welfare custody following the shooting.
“The perpetrator had an appointment today, along with many of the victims, to discuss future custody arrangements for his three-month-old daughter,” said Kathrin Schuol, police chief for Lüneburg.
German media, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, reported the custody dispute stemmed from allegations the suspect had shaken the infant. Police have not confirmed those reports.
A 65-year-old woman with close ties to the suspect was initially detained for driving the getaway vehicle but was subsequently released without charge. Stade’s local court issued an arrest warrant on June 30 on six counts of murder.
Prosecutors cited “particular treachery and base motives” as aggravating factors, which under German law typically apply to exploiting a victim’s defenselessness in premeditated, ambush-style killings.
Schuol said officers arrived at a “horrific picture.” President Steinmeier and Chancellor Merz both issued condolences. Adjacent daycare and school operations were unaffected, local councillor Carsten Brokelmann confirmed.
Stade is a town of roughly 50,000 people about 27 miles west of Hamburg. Mass shootings are rare in Germany, where gun ownership requires a license, mandatory training, and demonstrated need.
