Two killed in Berngau during weapons check; 60-year-old suspect arrested

Two people were killed on 9 October 2026 during a routine weapons inspection in Berngau, a municipality in the Neumarkt district of the Upper Palatinate region in Bavaria, Germany. Police said the suspect was arrested after an hours-long operation.

Hours-long police operation

Officers reported that early on Friday they entered a house where a man had earlier barricaded himself. Before the house was entered, the body of a man was found outside the building; later, special police units recovered the body of a woman from inside the house.

According to police statements, two staff members from the Neumarkt district administration had visited the man in Berngau for a routine weapons check. During the inspection, shots were fired; police quoted the presence of “two employees of the district administration”. It was initially unclear whether the person being checked had fired the shots or whether both victims were the administration employees.

Local officers surrounded the property for hours and asked residents to remain in their homes. Police negotiators were at one point in telephone contact with the suspect, who was believed to be alone in the building.

During the night leading into Friday the shooter was overpowered and arrested, police said. The suspect is a 60-year-old German citizen. Authorities have not released information about a possible motive and said the investigation is ongoing.

Investigators are continuing work at the scene and have not yet disclosed the identities of the victims pending family notification.

Photo: press material from the event