Gunman Fires 'Wildly' in University Lecture Hall

A shooter fired "wildly" inside a lecture hall at a university in Germany Monday, killing one student and wounding at least three others, police say. The gunman killed himself after the shooting at Heidelberg University, police say. According to German media, the gunman, identified as an 18-year-old student at the university, had no known political or religious motive and is believed to have acted alone, the BBC reports. Before the attack, the man reportedly sent a WhatsApp message saying people would be "punished."

Police say the gunman entered the lecture hall during a class and opened fire with a double-barreled shotgun, Deutsche Welle reports. Germany has strict gun control laws, with anybody under 25 required to pass a psychological exam before getting a gun license, and investigators believe the man may have acquired the weapon abroad. A backpack full of ammunition was found near the crime scene. Authorities said the woman who was killed was shot in the head and died hours after she was hospitalized. "It tears my heart apart to learn of such news," German Chancelleor Olaf Scholz said, per the AP. (More Germany stories.)