Girl, 14 and man, 39, die in shooting at family home in Limburg

A 14-year old girl has been shot dead at a house in Brunssum and a 39-year-old man has died of his injuries in hospital, Limburg police said on Wednesday.

Two other people were injured in the shooting and are being treated in hospital.

The man who died is thought to be the girl’s stepfather, but police have declined to comment on the circumstances of the shooting out of privacy considerations. She lived with her mother and other family members in a terraced house on the Koolfhofstraat, according to the Limburger news website.

Police are carrying out door to door inquiries and trying to establish the relationship between the victims, a spokesman said. According to the Limburger, the killer is one of the two people who were injured.

Police were called to the house shortly before 10pm on Tuesday after neighbours reported hearing shots.

Update December 22. It transpired later that the man who shot dead 14-year-old Gianna and then himself was not related to the girl and had a history of psychiatric problems and may have been a friend of the family.

The girl’s mother has since been discharged from hospital but her step father is still being treated.