Small German town of Bramsche reels after 2 killings

The small north-eastern German town of Bramsche has been shaken by the violent deaths of two of its residents, with police suspecting close acquaintances in both cases, reported dpa.

In the more recent case, police are holding a 20-year-old man in connection with the death in the early hours of Sunday of a 19-year-old woman, who was found seriously injured in open ground near a clubhouse where a birthday party was being celebrated. Around 150 people are reported to have attended the party.

"We are assuming that the two did not meet for the first time," Alexander Retemeyer, a spokesman for state prosecutors in Osnabrück, said on Monday. A murder investigation was under way that would look into the relationship between the two, he said, as speculation mounted in Germany's tabloid press.

The woman's body has undergone an autopsy, but the findings have not been released.

In the earlier case, a 16-year-old boy died of his injuries on Wednesday after apparently being shot by his neighbour, an 81-year-old man. A warrant for murder and attempted manslaughter has been issued.

The crime took place in front of the homes of the victim and the suspect, opposite a primary school. According to the public prosecutor's office, the suspect initially fired shots at the 16-year-old and then towards the boy's mother, who came out onto the street after hearing the shots.

The man then inflicted life-threatening injuries on himself, but is no longer in danger.