On March 9, at least seven people were killed – four men, two women, and an unborn baby – and eight people were injured, four of them seriously, in a Watchtower Bible church meeting hall in Hamburg, Germany. Around nine o’clock at night, Hamburg police received a report of gunfire inside the hall.

All of the victims were German citizens. A Ugandan and a Ukrainian resident were among the injured. The pregnant woman survived, but her unborn child was killed in the gunfire.

According to police, the shooter was among the dead discovered at the crime scene.

The suspect, identified only as “Philipp F,” was previously a member of the religious community and was said to harbor “ill feelings” toward the group.

During the investigation, police issued a shelter-in-place order to the residents of the neighborhood. On March 10, authorities stated that they believe the attacker acted alone.

Neighbors nearby told local media that they heard the blasts of bullets and saw someone moving from floor to floor in the three-story building while the shooting was going on.

According to Laura Bauch, a local resident and student, there were four shooting incidents. Bauch, who noticed someone rushing from the first to second floors of the meeting hall when she looked out her window.

The sound of bullets startled Gregor Miesbach, a nearby resident who saw a stranger enter through a window. Shots could then be heard from within. He said that the person appeared in the courtyard and fired more bullets inside before fleeing the hall. Miesbach told the German news outlet NonstopNews that he heard at least 25 gunshots. The witness claimed there was one last round of gunfire about five minutes after the cops arrived.

Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher was shocked by the tragedy on Thursday. He stated that the authorities are working hard to gain insight into the incident.