A man was critically injured in a shooting in the northern German town of Buxtehude on Monday, and the suspected gunman remained at large late into the evening, police said.
Several people reported hearing gunshots in an apartment building at about 7:15 pm (1715 GMT), a police spokesman said. Officers responding to the scene found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken for treatment with life-threatening injuries.
The suspected shooter fled and had not been arrested by late Monday, police said.
Authorities launched a large-scale operation in the town centre, cordoning off a wide area around the scene. Heavily armed officers secured the area, while public transport services through the centre were temporarily suspended.
Police from the nearby city of Stade and surrounding jurisdictions were involved in the operation.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately known and an investigation was under way.
