German police overwhelm church shooter

BERLIN – German police say a SWAT team overwhelmed an unidentified man who fired several shots inside a church.

Police say officers stormed the church in the western city of Siegen on Sunday afternoon about six hours after the man had locked himself inside the building. A church employee was initially threatened by the man but managed to escape, leaving the attacker by himself inside the building for hours.

German news agency dapd reported the man was injured during the raid and was hospitalized. Police said the man fired "several shots" but his motive remained unclear.

Police provided no immediate information on the man's identity.