Gunman kills two officials during weapons inspection in Bavaria, arrested after police raid

Shooting during a weapons inspection

A 60-year-old man shot and killed two employees of the Neumarkt district administration on Thursday afternoon, 8 October, in Berngau in Bavaria's Upper Palatinate region. The victims were a 54-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman carrying out a routine check of whether the suspect stored his firearms as the law requires. According to police, the visit was not aimed at seizing weapons. The suspect then barricaded himself in a building for hours while officers surrounded it and called in special forces units. Police said the motive remained unknown at this stage.

Siege and negotiations

Police first reported that one man had died and a woman had been seriously wounded, before confirming late on Thursday that she had also died. Bavarian Broadcasting (BR) reported that the woman died immediately after the first shots, and both bodies were later recovered. The families of both victims have been notified, while police have not released further details about the victims' identities. Police asked residents to stay in their homes or stay away from the perimeter, and said the suspect posed no danger to anyone outside the cordoned area. The suspect told officers he would not surrender and would resist, and police opened talks with him. According to Bild, the suspect is believed to be an amateur marksman with no criminal record.

Raid and arrest

More than 12 hours after the siege began, police decided to enter the building where the suspect had barricaded himself. At 02:20 local time on Friday, 9 October, special forces used explosives to break in, and the suspect was wounded in the leg by a police bullet, which police described as a light injury. He was offered medical treatment. Police described him as a German national aged 60 and said the suspect was neutralised and arrested during the operation. About 150 police officers, including special units, and roughly 90 rescue, crisis management and support staff, including the THW federal technical relief agency, took part in the operation.

Open questions

Police have not yet disclosed a motive for the shootings. The identities and full details of the two victims have not been published. Early reports listed only one fatality before the woman's death was confirmed, so the official account has been revised as the night progressed. The investigation is continuing, and the statements issued so far cover the timing of the raid, the suspect's nationality and the size of the deployment, but not what led to the attack.