Germany shooting

According to the interior minister for Baden Wuerttemberg region
"A gunman killed 15 people in two small towns in Germany".

Tim Kretschmer, 17, began his rampage at a school where he used to be a student in Winnenden, a small town about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Stuttgart.

He killed eight female students, three female teachers and one male student.

Rech said: "They were completely taken by surprise. Some of the victims still had their pens in their hands."

Kretschmer opened fire in three first floor classrooms, including a physics lab where a teacher was found dead behind her desk, Rech told a news conference.

Rech said police arrived in minutes. "This speedy intervention means they prevented further escalation of events."

The shooting at the Albertville-Realschule Winnenden school began around 9:45 a.m. (0845 GMT) and lasted about two minutes.

Student Louis Schweizer was in class when he heard the gunshots. "When I came out, I saw the shell casings lying around everywhere," he said.

His sister, Lisa Schweizer, also heard the shots. "It is a tragedy," she said. "One of my teachers was killed."

Another student told: "We heard that someone was inside shooting. Then we also saw a teacher who had blood on his hands because he wanted to help a female teacher who sacrificed herself for a student -- she stood in front of a student to protect her."