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Updated | Gunman shot dead after opening fire in German theatre
Reports of up to 50 wounded after armed man barricaded himself inside the Kinopolis cinema complex in the western German town of Viernheim
As many as 50 people have been wounded in a shooting at a cinema complex in Germany, according to local media reports.
An armed man reportedly barricaded himself inside the Kinopolis cinema complex, located in the town of Viernheim in western Germany.
But a regional interior minister has confirmed that the gunman was shot dead, shortly after initial reports that he had been arrested.
Police confirmed there was an "unclear threat situation" probably involving a weapon at a movie theatre.
The man is thought to have entered the cinema at approximately 3pm.
Officers from the nearby city of Mannheim were sent to support the Viernheim force.
State interior minister Peter Beuth said the assailant had moved through the cinema complex and appeared confused.
"There were hostages inside and there was a struggle (with police) until in the end he was dead," the state interior minister of Hesse added.
Police spokesman Bernd Hochstaedter said authorities were told early Thursday afternoon that an armed man had entered the Kinopolis movie theater and that shots apparently had been fired. He confirmed that police shot the man dead after elite forces stormed the cinema complex, adding that all the hostages were released.
