Three people have been killed in a shooting in Auckland central business district today, including the gunman.
Eight people were also wounded, including a police officer.
Police say the situation is now contained.
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Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told media a witness called the incident in at 7.23am, reporting there was a man with a gun shooting inside a construction site on lower Queen Street.
The gunman moved through the construction site shooting a pump-action shotgun.
When he reached the upper levels he hid inside an elevator shaft.
Police attempted to engage with him, but the gunman fired further shots, before he was found dead a short time later, they say.
The New Zealand Herald reports Prime Minister Hipkins praised the “heroic” actions of emergency services.
He said there was no identified “political or ideological motivation” for the shooter and as such, there was no need to change the national security risk.
The government has spoken to FIFA organisers today and the Women’s Football World Cup tournament will proceed as planned with the opening match tonight between New Zealand and Norway.
Gunman on home detention
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster later confirmed the dead gunman was on home detention and had previous convictions. He was named as Matu Tangi Matua Reid, 24, reports RNZ News.
Coster said the shooter was a worker at the construction site, and had an exemption from home detention to go to work.
At 7.22am police received multiple emergency calls about a person shooting a gun on the third floor of a building under construction on lower Queen Street. Commissioner Coster said officers arrived on the scene within minutes.
“The offender made his way up the building site, discharging his firearm on multiple occasions. Police entered in the building within 10 minutes,” he said.
The police commissioner said the gunman fired at police, wounding an officer, and shots were then exchanged.
“The offender was later found deceased.”
The wounded police officer was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but has since stabilised.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
