A soldier in the German Bundeswehr is suspected of shooting dead four people in the Lower Saxony district of Rotenburg, before turning himself in, the police and prosecution announced on Friday.
A child is among the dead, who were found earlier in the day. The investigators gave no further details about the victims, such as their age, gender or relationship to the suspect.
The suspected perpetrator turned himself in after the overnight attack and was arrested, the investigators said.
The incidents occurred at two crime scenes - one in a detached house in Westervesede in the municipality of Scheeßel and one in Bothel in the district of Rotenburg.
Police said a domestic issue "cannot be ruled out" as a motive for the crime. It was unclear whether the suspect had lived in either of the crime scene locations.
A large contingent of police officers was deployed. An operation was also under way in the morning at an army barracks in Rotenburg where an infantry battalion is stationed.
Outside the barracks, investigators were examining a vehicle for evidence, according to a dpa reporter at the scene. The public prosecutor's office did not say whether the suspect's weapon had come from the Bundeswehr.
The investigators gave no further details about the arrest of the suspect, nor any information regarding his age or nationality.
