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Five dead in Switzerland shooting

May 10, 2015

Five people have been found dead after a shooting in a town in northern Switzerland. Police have said the incident appears to be the result of a domestic dispute.

https://p.dw.com/p/1FNhV
Schweiz Schießerei in Würenlingen im Kanton Aargau
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Anex

Residents in the town of Würenlingen contacted police after hearing shots being fired just after 11 p.m. (2100 UTC) on Saturday night.

Authorities say they discovered five bodies in and around a house, including that of the suspected gunman.

Around 4,500 people live in the community northwest of Zurich.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Aargau canton police chief Michael Leupold said the incident was being treated as a "relationship crime," and was likely the result of a domestic dispute.

He said police had been "able to rule out a terrorist angle."

Suspect had history of violence: police

Leupold confirmed that all of the victims and the shooter were Swiss citizens, and described the suspect as a 36-year-old man who lived in the state of Schwyz.

A police spokesman said the man had three children, but had been living separate from his family.

He said the suspect did not have a gun license, and that the gun used was not a military weapon.

It has been confirmed that the man had a history of violence and was known to police.

The attacker is believed to have first killed a 58-year-old man, a 57-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man inside the house, before shooting a 46-year-old neighbor outside. He then took his own life.

The victims inside the house are reported to be the parents-in-law and the brother-in-law of the alleged attacker. The exact motive for the killings remains unclear.

an/cmk (Reuters, AP, AFP)