The bloodshed at a Munich shopping center Friday affected people from the Bay Area who were traveling to and from Germany.
Many passengers at San Francisco International Airport later that night had been on a flight out of the European country and had only just heard that an 18-year-old German-Iranian gunned down at least nine people at a McDonald’s attached to the Olympia Einkaufszentrum mall, before killing himself.
Some briefly heard about the tragedy on social media — and everyone had a strong reaction.
Colin Mazgaloff and his father said they were traveling to Munich to join their family who is visiting the country for the summer. Friday’s shooting left them with mixed emotions.
"It’s usually quite a calm place," he said. "We go there every year and there’s nothing to worry about."
His father Michael Mazgaloff, however, said he was "not surprised."
"It’s been going that way," he said. "I’m sure the Germans will take care of it. It’s going to get worse before it gets better."
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Ahad Khan, returning to San Francisco, from a business trip in Munich got the news from colleagues who are still there.
"Some of them saw people running," Khan said. "Police told them not to go out anywhere."
Although German police say the gunman acted alone, Denise Hoepfner said she was concerned about her family and friends, who were keeping her informed on social media.
"Things have been happening around here a lot," she said. "I didn’t think it’d be happening over there. I don’t know. It’s really sad."
Tom Herrmann, who travels to Germany, all the time agreed.
"It's scary," he said. I’m a frequent business traveler … you have to be vigilant about it."
