Elderly man kills 2 doctors before killing self in southwestern Germany

Elderly man kills 2 doctors before killing self in southwestern Germany

2012-03-07 04:02:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

WEILERBACH, Germany (BNO NEWS) -- An elderly man opened fire at a hospital in southwestern Germany on Monday afternoon, killing two doctors and wounding a nurse, local media reported on Tuesday. The gunman later killed himself.

The attack took place at around 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday when the 78-year-old man entered a hospital in the small town of Weilerbach, located in Kaiserslautern district in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and opened fire.

The elderly man, whose identity was not immediately released but who was reportedly a patient at the hospital's internal medicine practice area, fired several shots at two doctors in the building, killing both of them. A nurse was injured when he or she was hit by a ricochet bullet, according to Südwestrundfunk.

After the attack, the gunman fled the hospital as police officers attempted to stop him, briefly leading to a chase. But the elderly man managed to reach his house and barricaded himself inside. Security forces later discovered the man's dead body, apparently suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Weilerbach Mayor Horst Bonhagen said the deadly shooting shocked the small town. "It is inconceivable, inexplicable," he was quoted as saying by local media reports. Weilerbach's population stands at around 4,600 people.

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