A man suspected of killing his elderly mum before going on a rampage in the centre of Dresden and taking hostages has now died.
Police had urged people to avoid the city centre and evacuated Dresden's Christmas market as they tried to communicate with the suspect.
German police initially said they were communicating with the suspect before announcing shortly after noon that the hostage situation was over.
"The suspect died during the operation," Dresden police later wrote on Twitter.
"The 40-year-old suffered fatal injuries while ... the hostages were freed."
Officers didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation about whether the man had been killed by police or died from self-inflicted injuries.
Cops say they found the body of the suspect's mother in Dresden-Pohlis, which is around five miles away from the Altmarkt Galerie, where the incident happened.
It's currently unknown whether anyone was killed during the Altmarkt-Galerie incident.
Police spokesman Thomas Geithner confirmed the death in Pohlis is linked to the gunman's rampage.
Geithner added that the man - who is now in police custody - had been acting erratically and fear he may be suffering from mental health issues.
Just after noon, police announced the hostage situation was over.
"Two outwardly uninjured people are in our care," they added.
Radio Dresden earlier said shots had been fired at a building near the main train station.
The man is said to have attempted to break in to Radio Dresden's editorial office by shooting through a glass door, reports Bild.
Radio Dresden boss Tino Utassy told the German daily: "Fortunately, all employees were able to get to safety."
It's understood that the suspect and his hostages were holed up in a single room as police negotiators reasoned with him on the phone.
Germany's Spezialeinsatzkommando (Special Task Force) rushed to the scene shortly after shots were fired this morning.
Negotiators persuaded him to give up his hostages on his own accord.
Cops say visitors to Dresden need not be alarmed and there is no direct risk to their safety.
Last week in another major but unrelated German police operation, 3000 police officers seized 25 members of a far-right group who are now in custody for plotting to overthrow the government in Berlin.
Officers performed searches across 11 of Germany's 16 states against members of the so-called Reich Citizens movement, DPA reported, citing federal prosecutors.
Some members of the organisation reject Germany's postwar constitution and have called for the overthrow of the government in Berlin.
