The Hamburg police simply clarified on Twitter that at this point, “we assume that there was only one shooter” and that no other person involved is on the run. A police spokesman also explained that after hearing a shot in the “the top part” of the building where the killing took place, the police discovered the body of“a lifeless person” who would be “possibly” the shooter.
For its part, the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses described the shooting in a message published on its website as a “terrible slaughter perpetrated against its members”. She would have happened “after a church service”. The daily Abendblatt Burger reported that the Witnesses had been gathered since 7 p.m. for a weekly Bible study meeting.
Following the event, the street where the center of Jehovah’s Witnesses was located was closed to all traffic. Even several hours after the events, various police departments were on the scene. Following the forensic service, deminers searched the building, a routine measure, according to Abendblatt Burger. Around 3:00 a.m., the Hamburg police nevertheless announced that the police measures in the area were gradually being lifted and that the investigation was continuing.