Around noon, shots are fired in a supermarket in Schwalmstadt. Two people later died.

Two people were killed by gunshots in a supermarket in Schwalmstadt, North Hesse. The police announced on Tuesday. The background to the crime is not yet known. There is no danger to the population or bystanders, it said.

According to the police, the shots were fired shortly after 1 p.m. in a discounter market in the Treysa district. “Two people were found lifeless in the market,” tweeted the police headquarters in North Hesse. It was initially unclear who the two dead were.

According to their own statements, the police deployed with strong forces. The area around the grocery store was cordoned off over a large area. «We are with numerous colleagues

The Hessian state parliament president Astrid Wallmann (CDU) reacted to the news during a state parliament session and thanked the emergency services in Schwalmstadt. On behalf of the state parliament, she expressed heartfelt condolences to the relatives. Wallmann informed the MPs between two speeches in the plenary debate that followed the government statement by Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU).

Schwalmstadt is about halfway between Marburg and Kassel and is the largest city in the Schwalm-Eder district. As of December 31, 2020, the municipality had around 18,000 inhabitants.