Four people were wounded, some seriously, when gunfire erupted on a street in the Mülheim district of Cologne late on Monday, police said.
The shots were fired around 22:00 local time on Berliner Straße following a dispute among several people. Two of the injured were found at a petrol station on the street, while two others were discovered roughly 200 metres away in front of a kiosk. Paramedics transported all four to hospital.
Officers cordoned off the area and deployed a tracking dog to secure evidence at multiple locations. The criminal investigation department has opened a case, though the exact sequence of events and the motive remained unclear. Police said there was no ongoing danger to the public.