Munich Shooting Rampage Leaves Children Dead And Families Torn

At least nine people, including children, have been confirmed dead following a gunman’s sporadic shooting at the Olympia shopping mall, in Munich, Germany, on Friday, CNN reports.

According to the report, the gunman, only identified as an 18-year-old German-Iranian who lived in Munich for more than two years, started shooting at a McDonald‘s across from the Olympia mall at about 5:50 pm before moving to the mall.

The report further confirmed that 21 others, including women and children, were hurt in the shooting rampage at Munich’s biggest shopping centre, which is located in the busy shopping district of a middle-class neighborhood and is adjacent to the site of the 1972 Olympics.

According to a witness named Lauretta, the gunman started loading his gun at a bathroom in McDonald’s. She explained that her son was in the bathroom with the man.

She recalled, “That’s where he loaded his weapon. I hear like an alarm and boom, boom, boom … And he’s still killing the children. The children were sitting to eat. They can’t run.”

Lauretta added that she heard the gunman say, “Allahu Akbar,” or God is great. She said, “I know this because I’m Muslim. I hear this and I only cry.”

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Another witness, identified as Lynn Stein, who works at the Jack Wolfskin store in the mall, said she heard six or seven shots.

“People were very confused, and they were running and they were screaming,” she said, adding that she saw someone lying on the floor of a store who appeared to be either dead or injured. “There’s a woman over them, crying.”

A third witness, Thamina Stoll told CNN that she was with her grandmother, who lives about three minutes away from the mall when she saw about 50 people running towards her house to seek shelter.

She continued, “And there was a helicopter circling above us for about 20 minutes and sirens. And there’s still people walking on the streets. They’re confused, and nobody knows what’s really going on.”

The shooter was found dead after a nationwide manhunt for him, CNN reports. Also, sources say the police are investigating a fake Facebook advert which offered free food at the McDonald’s where the shooting started.

The Munich shooting rampage occurred in the wake of the Nice Terror Attack which left 84 people dead, including women and children.

Photo credit: Reuters