Gunman firing blanks storms Junglebook film and lets off tear gas before being shot dead by police
Shooter barricaded himself in multiplex in Viernheim and started firing blanks
A MASKED gunman in a "state of confusion" fired blanks and stormed a German cinema this afternoon, before being shot dead by elite police.
The gunman burst into the Kinopolis movie theatre in Viernheim in a 'Rambo-style' at around 3pm.
According to reports the gunman was brandishing a gun with a cartridge belt around his shoulder.
Crowds of people ran screaming from the complex when he opened fire at least four times, according to eyewitnesses.
The victims were in the cinema complex waiting for the curtain to go up on screenings of Alice in Wonderland, Junglebook and Central Intelligence.
As many as 50 people have been left with streaming eyes from the tear gas.
It has been reported that the gunman was shooting blanks.
Bild daily and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that elite police were on their way to the scene.
The Darmstaedter Echo said 20 to 50 people had been injured.
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Some elite SEK police commandos were helicoptered to the scene while others motored in a convoy with their weapons along the A5 autobahn.
The SEK are military-trained police personnel who deal with siege situations.
A siege situation was underway for over an hour before the man was killed.
According to reports, an SEK sniper shot the gunman dead.
The Hesse state Interior Ministry has confirmed that the gunman has been killed.
Minister Peter Beuth said: "The police thought that the gunman was holding hostages and because of that he was shot dead.
"We have no information that anyone was injured."
He added: "The police had an emergency call at 2:45pm. The caller said there was a masked man... armed with a long gun. It is unclear whether it was a real gun.
"The caller heard four shots and said that the masked man appeared a little mentally unstable. Police special forces were called."
Beuth could not confirm whether the weapon was genuine or not.
No hostages were taken.
Lars Henneman, editor-in-chief of the Darmstadter Echo told the BBC that the gunman was in a "state of confusion".
Ambulances have ferried the injured to local hospitals.
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