Police barriers at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen
Two people died after shots were fired on the factory premises.
(Photo: dpa)
After the shots were fired at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, a second man died. This was announced by the public prosecutor’s office in Ludwigsburg and the police on Thursday afternoon. The two victims are two 44-year-old employees of a subcontractor.
The Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office assumed a single perpetrator. A 53-year-old man entered the production hall at 7:45 a.m. and shot two people. Plant security employees arrested the suspect in the hall and handed him over to the police, who provisionally arrested him without resistance. A possible motive is still being determined.
The employees there are deeply saddened. A large number were sent home after initial care at the plant on Thursday morning, a reporter from the German Press Agency reported on site. Several ambulances were still on the factory premises.
The company was also dismayed. “The tragic news from Sindelfingen shocked us deeply,” said a spokesman on Thursday. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and all colleagues on site.” According to a statement, the victims and the alleged perpetrator are employees of an external service provider. The spokesman did not provide any information about the company involved.
According to the information, the employees in the affected hall left the factory premises after the shots were fired on Thursday morning. “So at the moment the tape is not running as normal,” said the spokesman. When the hall can be released again and production can continue there is still to be clarified. It was also initially unclear how many employees were sent home.
The suspected murder weapon was secured, said a spokesman for the responsible police in Ludwigsburg. He has no information as to what kind of weapon it is. The arrested suspect should be questioned about the crime and motive. In addition, numerous questionings of witnesses took place. The police have taken over the investigation.
According to the police, there is no longer any danger for the employees in the plant. The police received the first emergency calls around 7:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, a police spokeswoman confirmed.
Sindelfingen is near Stuttgart in the Böblingen district. With a history spanning more than a hundred years, the Mercedes Benz plant there has the longest tradition in the group.
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