UPDATE: 7:49 p.m. ET: According to CNN, a man who killed himself Friday after the deadly shootings is thought to have been the only gunman.
UPDATE: 7:25 p.m. ET: Reuters reports that the death toll has continued to climb. According to the news site, at least 10 people have been confirmed dead, including possibly the gunman.
Updates to come.
Original story continues below
At least eight are dead following a shooting at a Munich shopping center in Germany on Friday, July 22, according to NBC. The incident is suspected to be a terrorist attack.
The attack began at a fast food restaurant around 6 p.m. local time at the Olympia Einkaufszentrum mall, reports the Associated Press. The Bavarian Interior Ministry confirmed that others have also been injured.
Police quickly ordered civilians to find shelter and to go to the other side of the street. The incident is still under investigation and identities of the victims have not been released.
Lynn Stein, who works at the Jack Wolfskin store in the mall, told CNN what she saw at the scene. “I heard several shots,” she said. “People started running. I went outside as well; more people running outside. I think I heard more shots. Then it sounded like he went to the parking house next to the mall — several shots there.”
According to the AP, the perpetrator or perpetrators are on the run.
The British Foreign Office issued a statement warning others to stay away from the area, which has since been sealed off. “You are advised to avoid this location and follow the advice of local authorities,” the statement read. Police are also asking bystanders to not share images or videos of the situation on social media.
President Barack Obama addressed the attacks during a press conference on Friday. “Some of you are aware there were shootings in Germany and we don’t yet know exactly what’s happening there, but obviously our hearts go out to those who may have been injured. It’s still an active situation, and Germany’s one of our closest allies so we are going to pledge all the support that they may need in dealing with these circumstances,” he said.
“It is a good reminder of something that I’ve said over the last couple of weeks, which is, our way of life, our freedoms, our ability to go about our business every day, raising our kids and seeing them grow up and graduate from high school and now about to leave their dad — I’m sorry, getting a little too personal — depends on law enforcement,” he continued. (Obama’s eldest daughter, Malia Obama, is headed to Harvard University in 2017.) “That depends on the men and women in uniform every single day who are under some of the most adverse circumstances imaginable at times, making sure to keep us safe. And obviously, we have gone through a really tough time these last couple of weeks.”
Story is developing.
