As of: February 19, 2024 4:00 p.m
A large police operation has been underway at the vocational training center (BBZ) in Mölln since the morning. According to the district, the background is an unconfirmed report that a person with a firearm was spotted there.
The measures at the Mölln vocational training center (Duchy of Lauenburg district) are nearing completion, a police spokeswoman said. In some cases, the students had to lock themselves in their classrooms for hours. In the afternoon the first people were able to leave the rooms again. According to the district of Herzogtum Lauenburg, the school authority, the building will be evacuated class by class. According to the information, 32 school classes were able to leave the vocational school at 3 p.m.
Students are taken away on buses
As an NDR reporter reports, the students were gradually taken out of the classrooms by police forces. According to the police, they are now being taken away from the school grounds by bus. According to the district, they will be taken to a care center where they will initially be looked after and their witness statements will also be recorded. Rescue workers are also available.
Police cordoned off school grounds
The police had previously cordoned off the school grounds after a caller reported a person with a gun. First they had Lübecker Nachrichten reported. According to their own information, the police were alerted to the vocational training center at around 9 a.m. According to the police, the SEK was also requested. Emergency services began searching the building in the morning. A cell phone video that can be seen online shows police officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests walking into the building.
In a press release, the Duchy of Lauenburg district asked students to lock themselves in their classrooms and not to leave them for the duration of the assignment.
Firearm in use? Background remains unclear
As a police spokeswoman told NDR Schleswig-Holstein, it is currently unclear whether a person with a weapon was or is actually on the premises of the vocational training center. It is not possible to answer at this point whether there actually is or has been a shooting.
Jacqueline Fischer from the Ratzeburg police department (Duchy of Lauenburg district) said that there is currently no information as to whether a shot was fired. The district reported that no shots were fired.
Hotline and collection point for parents
The parents of the students were asked not to go to school in order to keep paths clear for emergency vehicles. The Duchy of Lauenburg district has set up a hotline for relatives – the number is (045 41) 88 88 88. A collection point for parents has also been set up in the Möllner town hall. According to the police, there are also care options there.
