A 48-year-old shot a 38-year-old supermarket employee in Mörfelden-Walldorf, Hesse, on Monday evening. After the crime, the man killed himself, said the South Hesse police headquarters and the Darmstadt public prosecutor’s office.

According to the information, the shooter entered the Aldi branch at around 7:15 p.m., almost two hours before closing time, and shot the employee “multiple times” and the woman died from her serious injuries. The man then turned the gun on himself.

The investigators suspect that the background to the bloody act was a previous relationship between the perpetrator and his victim. “The investigation into this is ongoing,” said the police. Numerous officers went to the discount store on the outskirts of the city to secure evidence and interview witnesses.

Several customers at the Aldi branch are said to have witnessed the crime up close. “They were not physically injured, but are being looked after by the police and a pastor,” it said.

The police and public prosecutor initially did not want to reveal further details, such as the weapon used, due to the ongoing investigation.

Mörfelden-Walldorf is located in the Groß-Gerau district of southern Hesse, about ten kilometers south of Frankfurt am Main. The city has around 35,000 inhabitants.

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Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was first published.

Sources: South Hesse Police Headquarters / Darmstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office, news agencies DPA and AFP