UPDATE 3 - 8 dead in shooting at Jehovah's Witness center in Germany

UPDATES WITH COMMENTS FROM PROSECUTOR

BERLIN (AA) - The shooting rampage at a Jehovah's Witness center in Germany left eight people dead, including the gunman, authorities said on Friday.

The shooter, identified as 35-year-old Philipp F., fired at people during a worship service in the northern city of Hamburg on Thursday evening.

The gunman was a former member of the religious community, and he apparently killed himself after police entered the building, Thomas Radszuweit, from the State Office of Criminal Investigation, told a news conference in Hamburg.

Philipp F. did not have any criminal record and was the legal owner of a gun, he added.

The shooter killed four men, two women, and an unborn baby, at the Jehovah's Witness center, according to the police. Eight others were wounded in the attack.

More than a dozen people were evacuated unharmed from the building.

Authorities have not indicated a motive for the shooting but said investigations are ongoing.

Hamburg prosecutor Ralf Peter Anders told reporters that there was no indication of a terrorist motive.

He said the investigators were currently analyzing his laptops and smartphones to uncover further information.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed sorrow for the victims. “Several members of a Jehovah's community fell victim to a brutal act of violence last night. My thoughts are with them and their families,” he said on Twitter.