Authorities in Germany announced Tuesday that the suspect in a deadly shooting that claimed six lives in the northern part of the country has been found dead inside his prison cell.
The attack occurred on June 29 in the city of Stade, located west of Hamburg, at a facility that serves as temporary housing for pregnant women and young mothers with their children. Those killed were workers at the shelter as well as employees of the regional youth welfare office.
Investigators believe the gunman’s motive was tied to a custody battle over his 3-month-old daughter. The suspect, a Turkish national who was born in Germany, had been under investigation on suspicion of murder. Authorities have not publicly identified him by name.
According to the regional justice ministry in Lower Saxony, the man was discovered early Tuesday morning in his cell at a prison in Bremervörde, a town near Stade. A physician who examined him concluded that he died by strangulation.
The ministry stated that the investigation thus far points to the suspect having taken his own life, and that there is currently no evidence suggesting anyone else was involved in his death.
