Stade Suspect Found Dead in Cell

Following the fatal shooting of six people in Stade, the suspected perpetrator died while in pretrial detention. A prison employee found the 45-year-old unresponsive in his cell in Bremervörde (Rotenburg district), according to a statement from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice.

Early this morning, an emergency physician determined that the prisoner had died of strangulation. According to reports, investigators believe it was a suicide; there is no evidence of a crime. The families of the deceased and the victims have been notified.

The man is alleged to have killed six people at a mother-and-child facility in late June, including three employees each from the Hanover Youth Welfare Office and the facility in Stade. According to current information, the motive was a custody dispute over the alleged shooter’s daughter, who was three months old at the time of the incident. Police arrested the suspect after the incident and are investigating the case as a murder.