© Henning Kaiser/dpa/picture allianceSpecial police forces have been deployed in the German city of Aachen after a woman barricaded herself inside the Luisenhospital. They shot and injured her "to put an end to the dangerous situation."
"As the woman did not respond when spoken to, the police officers used their firearms to put an end to the dangerous situation," a police statement said.
The woman was seriously wounded and wheeled out of the facility on a stretcher.
Police said no other individuals at the hospital were injured.
Police dispatched special forces to the site after the woman, who was from the nearby town of Eschweiler, entered the hospital on Monday afternoon. They believed that the woman had suicidal intentions.
She had a blank-firing gun with her and threatened employees of a physiotherapy practice inside the hospital, according to the police account.
Later, smoke was detected in the area. Bild, a mass-circulation German newspaper, reported that the woman had set off pyrotechnics inside the hospital. The police, the fire department, and hospital representatives all declined to comment on the report.
The site and the surrounding area were evacuated.
Almost 400 patients and staff were inside the facility during the stand-off.
Comment: There's been a lot of people 'going off' in Europe of late - and particularly in Germany:
- March 2nd: Illegal migrant decapitated 2 prostitutes in Austria, authorities had lost track of him
- March 1st: Germany: 4 shot dead overnight, soldier turns himself in; high school stabbing, 2 seriously injured
- March 1st: Car ploughs into crowd in Poland leaving 17 people injured including children
- Feb 29th: Man set himself on fire last night in London
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