Terrifying moment when ‘former Jehovah’s Witness’ opens fire through the window of a German Bible study meeting and then storms the building, killing seven before also being found dead by police
- Eight people were shot dead at the ‘Kingrijkszaal’ building last night
- Bild reports that the perpetrator is 35-year-old former member Phillip F
This is the terrifying moment when a gunman fired bullets through the window of a Jehovah’s Witness church in Hamburg last night in a shooting that killed eight people and seriously injured others.
Phillip F., 35, a former member of the religious community, is said to have been responsible for the deadly attack, which also injured several other people, some seriously, according to the German tabloid Bild.
In grainy footage, shot from a distance, the man appears to walk up to a window of the church and fire several shots at the ‘Kingdom Hall’ building from what is believed to be a gun – before charging inside .
The news outlet reported that Phillip F. was an employee of a business center. Police said earlier that the perpetrator was found among the dead after armed officers stormed into the church last night. Officials have said he acted alone.
The victims attended a Bible study meeting at the Jehovah’s Witnesses church that began at 7:00 PM local time. According to reports, the attack began two hours later, at 9 p.m., with police responding about 15 minutes later.
Phillip F., 35, (pictured) a former member of the religious community, is believed to have been responsible for the deadly attack that also injured several other people, some seriously, according to German tabloid Bild
Footage (pictured) has surfaced of the gunman firing bullets through the window of the church. The grainy video shot from a distance appears to show the man walking up to a window of the church and firing several shots at the building from what is believed to be a handgun
The video showed that the suspect was standing near a window and holding an object in front of him from which flashes could be seen.
The video, also obtained by MailOnline, also includes the sound of shots echoing through built-up areas.
In one of several bursts of gunfire, 15 continuous shots can be heard as the alleged gunman deliberately fires into the building.
The footage was shot at night from dozens of feet away — across a road and a parking lot — so that the man disappears from view when he appears to be entering the building.
“We heard shots,” an unknown witness told reporters. “There were 12 consecutive shots,” he said. ‘Then we saw people being taken away in black bags.’ The footage shows that far more than 12 shots were fired by the shooter.
A large distress call quickly descended on the building. Later footage showed armed police officers storming the church and making their way upstairs pointing their guns into a stairwell.
In the photo: armed German police officers storm the church on Thursday evening
Pictured: People are evacuated from the church after shots fired at the building last night
The first officers on the scene found several lifeless bodies and seriously injured people, the police said.
Officers heard a gunshot in the “upper part of the building” before finding a body in the area where it sounded, police said. Officers have “indications that a perpetrator may have been in the building and may even be among the dead.”
According to the German magazine Spiegel, the suspect was a former member of the congregation who had gathered on Thursday for a Bible study meeting in the center of the GroßBorstel district.
Citing his website, Bild said that Phillip F. grew up in Kempten in the Allgäu region in a strict religious family. After leaving high school, he trained as a bank clerk, it said.
He settled in Hamburg after studying business administration and having lived abroad a number of times. On his website, he says he is “multicultural” and “a self-declared European,” the tabloid added.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
