The 45-year-old suspect accused of killing six people at a youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, has died by suicide in pre-trial detention, the Lower Saxony Justice Ministry said on July 21, 2026. The Turkish national was found lifeless in his single cell at a prison early that morning; an emergency doctor confirmed death by strangulation.
The man allegedly shot dead four women and two men during a care planning meeting at a mother-and-child facility on June 29, 2026. Investigators believe the attack stemmed from a custody dispute over his three-month-old daughter, who had reportedly suffered shaken baby syndrome. Following the shootings, the suspect fled in a car before police disabled the vehicle and arrested the occupants.
The Stade Public Prosecutor's Office has dropped proceedings against the deceased. The suspect held no German residence permit.