17 Killed in Germany Shooting incident

BERLIN, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Wednesday's school shooting in Germany has risen to 17, including the 17-year-old gunman shot dead by the police, officials said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the shooting spree as an appalling crime, adding that Wednesday is a day of mourning for the whole of Germany.

The gunman, reportedly a former student of the school, went on the rampage around 9:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT) at the Albertville high school near the southwestern German city of Stuttgart, slaying at least 16 people.

Nine students and three teachers at the school were among the killed, local officials said at a press conference, adding the gunman had entered three classrooms.