A man who killed four women and two men at a shelter for mothers and children in Germany on Monday appears to have done so “for family reasons”, according to a German official.
Sure, it was “an act of violence carried out in an extremely cold-blooded manner”, but there were “no political or economic motives.”
The gunman carried out the attack when he entered the shelter in the town of Stade, about 30km from Hamburg. A shelter that provides temporary accommodation for pregnant women and young mothers with children. The six were all staff members. A gunman’s three-month-old baby and her mother were unharmed, with officials saying they were in an office at the time of the shooting.
Suggesting the softened motive of “family reasons” is all too familiar in describing alleged murders like these. Perhaps it’s because authorities hope to alleviate fears and community tensions.
According to AFP, a police spokesperson declared, “it is not a case of femicide, nor does it involve a political background or anything of that nature. Rather, it is an extended family tragedy.”
Nothing to worry about.
No “terrorist” at large. No far right or far left antics, and nothing to do with “femicide”. Certainly not an extremist attack. Rather, an “extended family tragedy”, according to German police, in which four women and two men are now dead.
The shots were first recorded shortly after midday on Monday, with police first describing the incident involving “multiple victims”. The four women and one man died inside the facility, while the second man died of their injuries in hospital.
The 45-year-old suspect had attended the centre for an appointment to discuss custody of his daughter. While he had been known to police, he was not considered to be “a particularly violent individual”. He had fled the scene in a car driven by a woman, which was fired on by police and was eventually stopped due to a blown-out tyre. The vehicle’s occupants were then detained on the road, with a 55-year-old woman who is known to the family also arrested.
Six people died as a result of “family reasons” or, as The New York Times described it in one headline, they are now dead “over custody of girl”.
Nothing to see here. No issues with intelligence. Just another “family tragedy” in another town, near another large city, in another country.
At the time of publishing, the names of the six killed had not been released. What we do know now is that they were all child welfare workers dedicating their careers and work to supporting pregnant women and young mothers. Six people who showed up to work that day to help and support the families of others.