A man who shot and wounded a police officer barricaded himself inside a flat with his three children in the western German city of Dortmund prompting a major police operation, authorities said early on Wednesday.
Special police units and negotiators were deployed after the 51-year-old suspect opened fire when officers responded to an emergency call from a woman on Tuesday evening. The officer suffered minor injuries after a bullet struck his protective vest, police said.
Authorities said they had established contact with the suspect, but described the situation as an ongoing threat. The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether the apartment where the man barricaded himself was his own residence, remained unclear.
The man's three children remained inside the flat and were believed to be unharmed, police said, adding there had been no danger to the wider public. Police did not confirm a report by German tabloid Bild that the man was holding the children hostage.
Bild reported that the suspect had caused a disturbance at a restaurant, threatened customers and used pepper spray before fleeing by car. As officers attempted to stop him, he allegedly fired through a window and hit a police officer. Police did not immediately confirm those details.
