One person severely injured in German school shooting

Police detain one suspect but search for second crossbow-armed attacker ongoing

The shooting took place at a school in Bremerhaven, Germany, on 19 May, 2022 (Getty Images)

One person was severely wounded in a shooting at a school in the Germany city of Bremerhaven on Thursday morning, police have said.

They were taken to hospital to be treated for injuries, the force added.

One suspect has been arrested, while another, who is reportedly armed with a crossbow, remains on the run after the incident at the Lloyd Gymnasium, according to the German daily Bild. The paper added that the injured person was a female employee at the school.

Students barricaded themselves in their classrooms, while a schoolgirl alerted the police about the shooting, the online newspaper Nord24 reported.

Around 200 pupils were at the school at the time of the attack, far fewer than normal because examinations were taking place off site, Nord24 said.

The police confirmed that its investigations into the incident are ongoing. “The students are in their classrooms with their teachers. The police have the situation on site under control,” it said.

In a tweet posted early on Thursday morning, the force revealed that a major police operation was underway in downtown Bremerhaven. It warned the public to avoid Mayor-Martin-Donandt square and the surrounding streets.

The shooting comes a week after the authorities in the German city of Essen said they foiled a “suspected Nazi terror attack”, arresting a 16-year-old boy whose home was found to contain bomb-making materials.

In January, a student opened fire in a lecture hall at Heidelberg University, killing one person and seriously injuring three others.