POLICE OPERATION UNDER WAY AFTER GUNMAN KILLS ONE, WOUNDS ANOTHER AND BARRICADES HIMSELF

BERLIN, OCTOBER 8 /SRNA/ - One person was killed and another seriously wounded when a man opened fire during a routine inspection of a firearms owner in Berngau in southern Germany before barricading himself inside a building, police said today.

Police surrounded the house and called in a tactical unit, which arrived in an armored vehicle, while the operation was still under way.

Two officials were carrying out an inspection of a gun owner in Berngau, Bavaria, today when the man opened fire on them, hitting both.

German news agency DPA reported that the attacker then barricaded himself inside a residential building, prompting a major police operation. It was not known whether anyone else was inside the house with him.

Residents were asked to remain indoors and avoid the part of the town where the operation was taking place.

Police said the officials had been conducting a routine check on the firearms owner and whether the weapons were being stored in accordance with regulations.