German Mass Shooting Suspect Found Dead in Prison Cell, Suicide Suspected

The man accused of carrying out a mass shooting at a mother and child shelter in Stade, northern Germany, that left six people dead last month has been found dead in his prison cell in what authorities believe was a suicide.

The suspect, a 45-year-old Turkish national born in Germany, was discovered unresponsive during a routine morning check at Bremervörde Prison in Lower Saxony on Tuesday. A doctor pronounced him dead at 6:29 am after determining the cause of death was strangulation, according to the state's justice ministry. Preliminary findings indicate he took his own life, and investigators said there is no evidence of third party involvement. Authorities have launched an inquiry into the circumstances of his death.

The shooting occurred on June 29 at a facility providing temporary accommodation for pregnant women and young mothers with children in Stade, west of Hamburg. Five victims died at the scene, while a sixth later succumbed to injuries in hospital. All of those killed were employees of the shelter or the regional youth welfare office. Several others were injured.

German investigators have said the attack was linked to a custody dispute involving the suspect's three month old daughter, who was staying at the shelter with her mother. The man had been under investigation on suspicion of murder after being arrested shortly after the shooting. The case shocked Germany, where mass shootings are rare, and sparked renewed debate over domestic violence and child protection measures.