Gunman who killed six workers at German welfare centre for young mothers 'is a father involved in custody battle over his baby'

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and IMOGEN GARFINKEL - SENIOR FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:57, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 08:59, 30 June 2026 The alleged gunman who mowed down six workers at a German welfare centre for young mothers yesterday is a father who is embroiled in a custody battle over his infant daughter, police have revealed.  The 45-year-old man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was detained after allegedly killing four women and two men at a welfare facility in the Dankersstrasse area in Stade, Lower Saxony, yesterday afternoon.  Five victims died at the scene, while a sixth succumbed to their injuries in hospital. All the victims were employees of the facility.   Several people were also injured during the shooting.   It was initially not known why the alleged attacker, a Turkish citizen born in Germany who is from the Hanover area, carried out the heinous attack.  But following their initial investigations, police said the motive was over custody of his three-month-old baby.  The baby and her mother were in the building at the time of the attack, but were not hurt. A custody hearing was scheduled for Monday.  Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens told reporters late on Monday that the incident was 'an act of violence carried out in an extremely cold-blooded manner, with no political or economic motives.' Footage shared by Bild appeared to show the moment two of the people involved were caught fleeing by police Employees of a youth welfare facility and witnesses hug near the scene where six people were killed in a shooting in Stade, northern Germany, on June 29, 2026 Lueneburg police chief Kathrin Schuol said while the man was known to police 'in relation to threats', he was not considered a 'particularly violent individual'. He also did not have a firearms licence.  Schuol said the suspect initially fled the scene in a car driven by a woman.  Bild reported that this driver, a 65-year-old woman, is being questioned by police, alongside the baby's 34-year-old mother.   Footage shared by Bild appeared to show the moment two of the people involved were caught fleeing by police.  An adult was seen falling out of a stopped grey car as a second person was being detained by armed police.  Photos from the scene show a grey Mercedes with at least one of its tyres blown out. The back-right tyre was shredded, and the car was surrounded by several police officers.   An eyewitness told Focus, a German news magazine, that they heard police fire shots at a man and a woman who appeared to be attempting to flee the scene in a car.  A police car is parked near a building that houses a youth facility in Stade, Germany on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 Photos from the scene show a grey Mercedes with at least one of its tyres blown out The back-right tyre was shredded, and the car was surrounded by several police officers Police are still investigating the incident, which took place on Monday afternoon One officer reportedly shouted at the car's inhabitants: 'Stop, stay put!'  When the car did not stop, police fired up to 15 rounds.  Police were then heard saying there had been shots to the 'chest' and 'head', though it is not clear whether these were in reference to the alleged perpetrators or the victims.  Police are still investigating the horrific incident.  Stade has a population of around 50,000 people, and is located west of Hamburg.  Germany has some of Europe's strictest gun laws - they require anyone under 25 to pass a psychiatric exam before applying for a gun licence - and mass shootings are relatively rare. But they occur from time to time, and Monday's was among the deadliest in recent times. Earlier this year, a pair of shootings in Berlin and Strullendorf saw a total of four people die and four people get injured.  The January shooting in Berlin saw four people get wounded during a family dispute in the centre of the city.  And in February, a man shot and killed his wife and two children, before turning the gun on himself, in the Bavarian city of Strullendorf.   Flowers and candles sit in the ground near the scene after a deadly shooting at a youth welfare facility in the northern town of Stade, Germany, on June 29, 2026 Police and rescuers work at the scene where five people were killed in a shooting in Stade, northern Germany, on June 29, 2026 A forensic Police officer with a camera works near the scene where five people were killed in a shooting in Stade, northern Germany, on June 29, 2026 In February 2020, a far-right extremist shot dead nine people and wounded five others in the central German city of Hanau. In March 2023 a disgruntled former Jehovah's Witness member shot dead six people from the Christian group's congregation in the German city of Hamburg, before turning the gun on himself. In May 2022 a 21-year-old gunman opened fire at a secondary school in northern Germany, badly injuring a female member of staff before being arrested. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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