2023 Hamburg shooting

At a glance

Dates: From 2023-03-09.

Place: Kingdom Hall, Germany.

Type: mass shooting.

Deaths reported: 8. Casualties: 8.

Who was involved

Perpetrator The suspect was later identified as Philipp Fusz, a single man aged 35. [ 1 ] On his website, Fusz described himself as a business consultant who grew up in a "strict evangelical household" in Kempten , Bavaria . [ 1 ] He was a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, had no criminal record, [ 2 ] [ 3 ] and was not known as an extremist. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] In 2022, he self-published a book called The Truth About God,

What happened

Casualties The casualties included four men and two women, aged 33 to 60, [ 1 ] as well as an unborn baby. Eight people were injured, four critically. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The injured include the baby's mother, who was seven months pregnant. [ 2 ] All six fatalities were German , and the eight injured were six Germans, one Ugandan and one Ukrainian . [ 1 ] ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Guardian_2023-03-10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).

Reactions On the advice of the security authorities, the Hamburg congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses began conducting their services digitally. [ 1 ] On their website, the Jehovah's Witnesses expressed their "deep sorrow" about the fatal shooting. [ 2 ] A funeral service was held on 25 March 2023 and was attended by up to 4,000 members of the faith community, including 50 Hamburg congregants, relatives and survivors,

On 9 March 2023, a mass shooting occurred at a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in the Alsterdorf quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The shooter, identified as 35-year-old Philipp Fusz, entered the building after a service was held there and opened fire, killing six people and injuring eight others, before killing himself minutes later. One of the fatalities was pregnant, leading to the foetus's loss. Fusz was a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, had no previous criminal record, and was not a known extremist.