What We Know About the Suspected Attacker Behind Munich's Mall Shooting

This article originally appeared on VICE Germany

A gunman killed nine people at the Olympia shopping mall in Munich, Germany on Friday evening, before he was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head. Five of the nine victims have been described as "youths" in media reports and, according to Munich police, 27 people were injured – 10 of them severely. Among these was a 13-year-old boy. Peter Beck, Munich police spokesman, told the Associated Press that the attack left 16 people in need of treatment in hospital.

The alleged shooter was an 18-year-old German-Iranian male born in Munich, according to the police. At a press conference held late on Friday night, police chief Hubertus Andrä said investigations so far indicate the shooter killed himself after being shot and wounded by plainclothes officers.

Hours later, at a midday press conference on Saturday, the police said that the shooter – initially identified only as David S – had researched mass killings and didn't appear to have any political motivations behind his attack. The teen shooter was armed with a 9mm Glock pistol, according to police, and 300 bullets. "The events of last night make us speechless," Andrä said at the conference, "and our thoughts go out in particular to the victims."

According to the German newspaper Bild, police raided the Munich apartment the shooter allegedly shared with his parents in the early hours. Police at Saturday's followup press conference confirmed that nothing in the shooter's room had been found to connect him to Islamic State. A search of the shooter's room had turned up a copy of Peter Langman's book Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, translated into German, said police. Prosecutors also said the alleged perpetrator had been receiving psychiatric treatment, though this could not be confirmed with certainty yet.

The gunman had delivered newspapers in his neighbourhood, according to those based in the area who spoke to the press after the attack. "I saw him every once in a while pass by, he was a very shy guy and tall, about 6ft 2in. He wasn't very sporty, rather a little chubby," 47-year-old Stephan Baumanns told the Guardian. Baumanns owns the bakery and coffee shop below the flat where the gunman and his family lived, in a neighbourhood known as Maxvorstadt. "He seemed like a lazy guy. He had a job distributing a free newspaper, Münchener Wochenblatt, but I often saw him rather than deliver them, throw them all away into the garbage bin."

A neighbour speaking to a local broadcaster reportedly described the gunman as "very, very nice. I really can't say anything bad about him."

On Saturday afternoon, interior minister Thomas de Maizière confirmed the existence of a Facebook account that promised cheap food at the McDonald's where shots were fired. A police investigator earlier in the day had said that the gunman appeared to have hacked that account – believed to belong to a girl – to lure people to the McDonald's before shooting them.

"I'll give you something if you want, but not too expensive," read the post, according to the Guardian.

Shots were reported fired from about 5.50PM CEST on Friday, at the McDonald's restaurant and in the mall, in Munich's northern Moosach neighbourhood. The police responded quickly, cordoning off a large area around the mall. Police on Friday had warned of three possible suspects, but this information turned out to be false.

The sad result of — Polizei München (@PolizeiMuenchen)July 23, 2016

After the shots were fired, the police told people to stay away from public places, warning of an "acute terror situation." More than 2,300 officers were deployed, among them the elite counter-terrorist GSG9 unit of the German Federal Police. Several reports of shots fired in downtown Munich turned out to be false.

To all, who publish pictures of victims: STOP DOING THIS!
Please show more respectJuly 23, 2016

On Friday evening, the police repeated warnings for citizens to stay indoors, tweeting in several languages. People from surrounding areas were also told to stay away from Munich. Doctors and nurses were called to the hospitals. Restaurants in the city closed for security reasons, often with people still hiding inside. Public transportation was shut down temporarily, as were interregional train services. Munich's central train station was evacuated. People offered those stuck in public places shelter using the hashtag #OffeneTüren (open doors).

We will continue to update this story as we learn more.