German teen was treated for depression

WINNENDEN, GERMANY — The psychological profile of a teenager who went on a shooting rampage at his former school and killed 15 people began to take shape Thursday, as investigators described a withdrawn young man who broke off psychiatric treatment for depression.

But investigators encountered a setback as they struggled to authenticate a chat room posting that purportedly warned of a bloody rampage hours before 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer wreaked havoc on this quiet town near Stuttgart, in southwest Germany.

Kretschmer returned to his former high school Wednesday, shooting to death nine students and three teachers before fleeing on foot and then by car, killing three more people and eventually turning a 9-millimeter pistol on himself after exchanging fire with police.

Kretschmer’s father is a well-off businessman who legally owned 15 weapons and belonged to a gun club where his son regularly turned up for target practice, an official said.