Asia-Pacific

Gunman in New Zealand kills two people ahead of Women’s World Cup tournament

Police officer and four civilians injured in attack at Auckland construction site hours before opening match

Police officers stand near the location of a shooting in Auckland, New Zealand as the city prepared for the opening match of the Women's World Cup. Photograph: Getty Images

Thu Jul 20 2023 - 06:55

A gunman stormed a high-rise construction site in downtown Auckland early on Thursday, shooting at terrified workers and killing two people as New Zealand prepared to host games in the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

The gunman was found dead after a police shootout, during which an officer was shot and injured. Four civilians were also injured.

The shooting happened near hotels where Team Norway and other soccer some teams competing in the World Cup, including Norway, have been staying.

New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins said the tournament would go ahead as scheduled and Norway subsequently played in the opening match, in Auckland, against New Zealand, the competition’s co-hosts.

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“I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the action of one individual,” Mr Hipkins said.

The prime minister said the gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun. Police arrived within minutes of the first emergency call and ran into harm’s way to save lives. “These kinds of situations move fast and the actions of those who risk their lives to save others are nothing short of heroic,” he added.

New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins has insisted that it is safe for fans to attend World Cup matches after a shooter killed two people in Auckland.

Police commissioner Andrew Coster said the gunman was a 24-year-old who had previously worked at the building site, and the motivation for the shooting appeared connected to his work there.

The gunman had a history of family violence and was serving a sentence of home detention but had an exemption to work at the lower Queen Street site, Mr Coster said.

The gunman began shooting at about 7.20am and police soon swarmed the area. He moved through the building firing at people as many workers fled or hid.

The gunman then barricaded himself in an elevator shaft on the third floor, Mr Coster said, where Swat-type officers engaged him after securing the floors above and below. “The offender fired at police, injuring an officer,” Mr Coster said. “Shots were exchanged and the offender was later found deceased.”

He said it was not yet clear if police had shot the gunman or he had killed himself. He said the gunman did not have a gun licence and so should not have been in possession of a weapon.

A police car blocks a road near the site of a shooting in central Auckland on July 20th, 2023. Photograph: SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images

Outside, armed police officers had the commercial business district on heavy lockdown with streets cordoned off surrounding the tourist harbour ferry terminal area. Police demanded that bystanders disperse and ordered people inside their office buildings to shelter in place.

The incident happened football teams and fans gathered in New Zealand for the World Cup.

Mr Coster said: “I want to acknowledge that this has been a shocking and traumatic event for those people who came to work and found themselves in the middle of an armed emergency. Thankfully, many people were able to escape the building, but I know for those who hid or remained trapped, this was a terrifying experience.” – AP

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