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. (More Germany stories.)