Hamburg shooting at Jehovah's Witness hall leaves several dead, according to German police

Several people have been killed in a shooting during a religious service of Jehovah's Witnesses in the northern German city of Hamburg, according to local media.

Bild newspaper reported seven people were dead and eight more were injured in the shooting.

Hamburg Police said on Twitter that "several people were seriously wounded, some of them fatally", but didn't give a precise figure.

"We are onsite with a large contingent of forces," the department tweeted.

"So far, there is no reliable information on the motive for the crime. We ask that you do not share unsecured assumptions and/or spread rumours."

Germany's dpa news agency reported seeing rescue services taking people out of a meeting hall used by Jehovah's Witnesses.

Photos from the scene showed the JW.org sign indicating the building was a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall — a building used for worship.

Authorities said one or more people opened fire during a religious service.

The Hamburg city government said the shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district.

"We only know that several people died here; several people are wounded, they were taken to hospitals," police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

Mr Vehren said police were alerted to the shooting at about 9:15pm on Thursday, local time, and were on the scene quickly.

He said that after officers arrived, they heard a shot from an upper floor and found a person upstairs who may have been a shooter.

He said police did not have to use their firearms.

The police statement said there was no immediate indication that a shooter was on the run and that it appeared likely that the perpetrator or perpetrators were either in the building or among the dead.

Police had no information on the event that was underway in the building when the shooting took place.

They also had no immediate information on a possible motive.

Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher tweeted that the news was "shocking" and offered his sympathy to the victims' relatives.

Police had previously said a large operation was underway in the neighbouring Alsterdorf district.

The area is a few kilometres north of the downtown area of Hamburg, which is Germany's second-biggest city.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are part of an international Christian religion founded in the United States in the 19th century and headquartered in New York.

The organisation claims a worldwide membership of about 8.7 million, with about 170,000 in Germany.

Original article link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-10/hamburg-shooting-at-jehovah-s-witness-hall/102078020