Man killed, two hurt in shooting at Marl tea room, German police say

A 39-year-old man was shot dead and two other men were wounded early on Monday when gunfire erupted inside a tea room in Marl, in Germany's Ruhr region, police said. Witnesses reported hearing several shots shortly after 03:00 at a venue on Karlstrasse, according to a joint statement from Recklinghausen police and the Essen public prosecutor's office.

Officers arrived to find the man, from nearby Recklinghausen, fatally wounded. Two other men, aged 35 and 40, from Oberhausen and Herne respectively, were also hurt. Ambulance crews treated the wounded men before taking them to hospital, police said. Broadcaster WDR reported that neither man's injuries were life-threatening.

Several other people fled the scene before officers arrived, police said. No suspect has been identified or arrested, and it is not yet known how the attacker or attackers escaped or what led to the shooting. By Monday afternoon, no one had been detained and the search for those responsible was continuing, police said.

A funeral for the man who died was due to take place in Recklinghausen later on Monday, WDR reported.

Recklinghausen police and the Essen prosecutor's office have set up a homicide unit to investigate, including the background to the attack, and said they were pursuing several possible lines of inquiry. The crime scene on Karlstrasse was cordoned off, and forensic officers were still examining it on Monday afternoon, WDR reported.

A WDR reporter at the scene said officers were questioning residents in Marl about what they had seen or heard overnight. Neighbours said the tea room was typically only used late in the evening, its shutters usually down, according to the broadcaster. It was not immediately clear what connection the man who died had to the venue.