2 shot dead in row over flat in Germany

Police were continuing to investigate on Saturday the background to a fatal shooting in the western German town of Ottweiler near the French border in a dispute over a rented flat, reported dpa.

A 51-year-old man killed a woman and himself in his flat on Friday afternoon. A 79-year-old man was shot and injured, and his condition was stable on Saturday morning, a police spokesperson said.

According to information so far, the 79-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife had gone to the later perpetrator and his partner to tell them that they would not be able to get a rented flat as they had hoped. According to the report, the 51-year-old pulled out a gun, pointed it at the potential landlords and shot the wife.

During a subsequent scuffle with the 79-year-old, he pulled the trigger again and injured the man. The 51-year-old then shot himself.

Whether the man legally owned the gun and how many shots he fired was still unclear on Saturday and was to be investigated. He was not known to the police, said the spokesperson.

The crime happened around 4 pm (1400 GMT). The shooter's partner was being cared for.

Ottweiler is located in the district of Neunkirchen in the German state of Saarland.