Shooting in Germany's Stade leads to six deaths

BERLIN -- A shooting incident in the northern German city of Stade on Monday has left six people dead, with three suspects caught by the police, according to German media reports.

According to German authorities, the shooting occurred in a youth welfare institution in the downtown Stade, in the state of Lower Saxony.

Currently, authorities confirmed that six people, all staff of the institution, had died, five at the scene and a sixth victim later died in hospital. Currently three suspects have been caught by the police, including one man who opened fire and two women.

According to German news outlet FOCUS, citing the police, a custody dispute over a three-month old baby has probably led to this crime.

The male suspect is the father of the baby and was born in Germany to a family of Turkish origin. At a press conference on Monday evening, authorities said that the woman who attempted to flee with the suspect by car has close ties to the suspect's family. Police also confirmed that the baby's mother is the second woman taken into custody.

German authorities said there is no evidence that the crime was politically or economically motivated. The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not yet established a motive.