Masked Gunman Shoots Kiosk Employee in Cologne; Police Link Case to Earlier Killing

A 33-year-old man was seriously injured in a shooting at a Cologne kiosk, with investigators finding similarities to a fatal shooting outside a fitness studio last year.

A masked assailant shot a 33-year-old kiosk employee in Cologne-Ostheim on the evening of January 29, 2025, leaving him seriously injured but not in life-threatening condition.
The shooter, dressed in dark clothing, fled the scene on a private e-scooter after firing multiple shots at close range, targeting the victim's lower body.
The attack was captured on a surveillance camera, and police are urgently seeking witnesses to aid their investigation.
Authorities have identified a connection between this incident and a fatal shooting in October 2024, where a 32-year-old man was killed outside a fitness studio in Cologne under similar circumstances.
Both cases involved masked perpetrators using e-scooters for their escape, prompting collaboration between the current investigation's murder commission and the team handling the earlier case.