Shooting at German shopping center, at least 8 people dead

Gunmen opened fire at a shopping mall in the southern German city of Munich, killing at least eight people.

Armed police at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich, Germany. Photo: Gutjar/Twitter

Gunshots were fired at the Olympia shopping center in Munich on the evening of July 22, prompting a large law enforcement response. The call for help was received at 6 p.m. after a shooting at the McDonald's fast food outlet in the center.

"There were a lot of gunshots, I can't say how many but a lot," said an unnamed employee from inside the center. "Everyone was rushing into the store from outside and I just saw one person lying on the ground, so badly injured that he definitely wouldn't be alive."

"We don't have any more information, we're just in the back of the warehouse. No police have approached us yet," the witness said.

Television footage showed dozens of ambulances parked in front of the Olympia shopping centre, next to the Olympic stadium in Munich.

Police secure the street near the scene of the shooting. Photo: Reuters

Reuters later quoted police spokeswoman Claudia Kuntzel as saying that multiple people were killed and injured in the shooting. "We believe we are dealing with a shooting incident," the police spokeswoman said, adding that she believed there was more than one gunman involved, but no one had been arrested. Police were still cordoning off the shopping mall, she added.

Police warned people to "avoid public places in Munich". "The situation is still unclear".

The Bavarian Interior Ministry initially confirmed three deaths. AFP quoted a police source as saying at least six people were believed to have died in the shooting. The toll was later raised to eight, according to a tweet from Munich police.

Munich's main train station was also evacuated, while metro and bus services were suspended.

According to Die Welt, Munich authorities announced the emergency using the city's smart phone alert system. Residents were warned not to leave their homes: "For your own safety, avoid squares and streets: the perpetrators are on the run. Trains and buses are suspended. Turn on the radio and television."

Munich police also urged people to avoid posting photos of police at the scene of the shooting, in case they provide information that could benefit the suspect.

Snipers sit on a police helicopter above the shopping mall. Photo: Reuters

German police suspect the incident in Munich was a terrorist attack, but say there are no signs it was an Islamist attack.

According to Reuters, a police spokesman confirmed that the gunmen were still at large. "We are telling the people of Munich that there are dangerous armed men on the run," the spokesman said, adding that police were looking for the three perpetrators. "We are asking everyone to stay indoors."

The Munich shooting came just four days after a 17-year-old asylum seeker attacked train passengers with an axe, and just over a week after a van plowed into a crowd in Nice, France, killing 84 people.

A body lies on the ground after the shooting in Munich. Photo: Reuters

According to VNE