In a workplace shooting in Cleveland, Tennessee, two German employees were killed by a colleague who later apparently took his own life. The incident stemmed from the suspect's termination process. Authorities are investigating a double murder.
On Monday morning around 10:30 AM local time, emergency services were called to a company premises in Cleveland, Tennessee, after shots were fired. Police confirmed that two German citizens had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. The suspected perpetrator, a 38-year-old American, was employed at the same subsidiary of a Lower Saxony-based company as the victims. He was in termination proceedings, and the deceased were his superiors.
The suspect fled the scene and barricaded himself in a nearby house. After about six hours, a SWAT team found the man dead; police believe he shot himself. Investigators used a drone and two robots to peer inside the house, as reported by US network NBC.
The company confirmed that two employees had become victims of a crime. 'We all stand under the impression of the senseless act,' stated the company website. The city's police chief described it as a 'heartbreaking incident that deeply shakes the community and extends beyond borders.'
Germany's Foreign Office is aware of the reports, but official confirmation of the deaths from US authorities is pending. The German Embassy in Washington initially made no statements regarding the victims' nationality.