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German police kill U.S. soldier

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  • NEW: Soldier from 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division "Dagger Brigade"
  • Armed soldier involved in violent domestic incident, police say
  • Police: Soldier's girlfriend escapes after being held hostage, tied up
  • Police shoot soldier when he threatens them with rifle, police say
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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- German police in a Bavarian town shot and killed a U.S. soldier overnight after what appeared to be a violent domestic incident, local police said.

Police said the man was armed with a military-style M4 rifle, took his girlfriend hostage in her house and tied her up.

The woman fled and called police, who launched a search for the man.

Using night vision cameras from a helicopter, police were able to find the soldier, who was shot in Koenigsberg after he threatened the officers when they attempted to arrest him.

Military police from the nearby U.S. Army base in Schweinfurt, where the soldier was stationed, are investigating the incident with German police.

The U.S. military said the soldier was from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division "Dagger Brigade."

The soldier died at Leopoldina Hospital in Schweinfurt from a gunshot wound "received in a confrontation with local German and U.S. military authorities late last night," the military said.

"The Dagger Brigade chain of command is cooperating fully with the investigation being conducted jointly by U.S. Army and German authorities," the military said.

The soldier's name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report.

All About GermanyDomestic ViolenceU.S. Armed Forces

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