Officials say a man has shot dead a doctor before killing himself at a Berlin hospital.

The shooting occurred around 1 p.m. Tuesday at the mouth, jaw and face surgery unit of the Benjamin-Franklin Hospital in the southwestern district of Steglitz.

Berlin police initially said the doctor had suffered life-threatening injuries, but later said he had died. The circumstances of the shooting are still being investigated.

Police said there was no indication of a "terrorist background" to the attack.

A series of attacks over the past days, including the shooting deaths of nine people and a gunman in Munich on Friday, have prompted officials to call for stricter gun laws in Germany.