Germany - Man Facing Eviction Kills 4 People and Himself - NYTimes.com Five people died in a hostage-taking drama on Wednesday in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe, the police said. The hostage taker, a 53-year-old man, was facing eviction from the apartment he shared with his 55-year-old girlfriend after she lost it in a foreclosure auction in April, the police said. The man took his own life after killing his girlfriend, a bailiff, a locksmith and the new owner of the apartment, said the police, who did not identify any of the victims in accordance with German privacy laws. The police said the gunman, who was unemployed, had planned a "downright execution."