German Gunman Kills Self, 4 Others

A heavily armed man whose girlfriend was being evicted from her apartment today killed four people, including the new owner and a court bailiff who were shot execution style, before turning a shotgun on himself, German authorities said. A commando team stormed the apartment in the southern German city of Karlsruhe, but the 53-year-old gunman and the victims were already dead. Also killed was the girlfriend, a 55-year-old woman who was found on her bed with a gunshot wound to her chest, near the gunman's body. The bailiff and new owner were found with their hands bound on a couch, dead from gunshot wounds to the head. A locksmith was found dead on the floor.

The woman had fallen behind on payments and the apartment was sold at foreclosure auction. At about 8am the bailiff, a locksmith, and a social worker showed up to evict her. When nobody opened the door they began trying to force the lock, then the suspect opened the door and ushered them in, said a deputy police chief. The new owner of the apartment, a 49-year-old man, showed up minutes later. Once all were inside the suspect told them to sit but when the bailiff refused, the suspect went into another room, grabbed a pistol, and shot him twice in the thigh before shooting the locksmith in the head. He later bound the hands of the others and released the social worker, who informed police.