2 Killed In New Zealand Shooting Ahead Of World Cup
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (Worthy News) – At least two people were killed and six others injured when a gunman opened fire in a building under construction in the center of Auckland, New Zealand, just hours before the city was to open the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Armed with a shotgun, the gunman attacked early Thursday but was eventually killed, police said. A police officer was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but his condition had stabilized, they added.
Motives were not immediately clear. Yet New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins quickly said the attack in Auckland’s central business district “was not being seen as an act of terrorism.”
His words were meant to reassure a nation still reeling from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, which killed 51 people and injured 40 others.
Passers-by and commuters said they heard the volley of gunshots during rush hour on Thursday, prompting police officers and vehicles to swarm the area.
Authorities shut down parts of the city that had been preparing for the opening of the world’s world’s most significant soccer (football) event that organizers say could attract 2 billion television viewers worldwide.
SHOOTER “NEUTRALIZED”
Hipkins said the public could be assured police “had neutralized the threat” and there was no ongoing risk after the incident on Auckland’s Queen Street.
No political or ideological motive for the attack had been identified, the prime minister said. “The assessment of officials is that there is no national security risk.”
He thanked the “men and women of the New Zealand police who ran into the gunfire” shortly after the shooting was reported at 7:23 am local time. They went “straight into harm’s way in order to save the lives of others,” he told reporters.
“These kinds of situations move fast, and the actions of those who risk their lives to save others are nothing short of heroic,” Hipkins stressed.
Police said they heard reports of a person discharging a firearm inside the construction site, and the gunman moved through the building and continued to fire.
The man then went into a lift shaft, and police tried to engage with him, police said. He fired further shots, and he was found dead a short time later, according to police.
TEAMS SAFE
Tatjana Haenni, chief sporting director for National Women’s Soccer League USA, said they were near to where the shooting happened but added that “so far we feel safe.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown stressed that all personnel of the world’s football body FIFA in the city and teams are safe and have been accounted for.
Yet it was impacting players just hours before the first soccer match of the Women’s World Cup was scheduled to begin in Auckland.
“The participating teams in close proximity to this incident are being supported in relation to any impact that may have taken place,” FIFA said in a statement monitored by Worthy News.
It explained that immediately after the incident, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA Secretary-General Fatma Samoura were in communication with the New Zealand authorities.
“FIFA extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives following the incident which occurred this morning in Auckland, New Zealand. And our thoughts and prayers remain with those who have been injured in this tragic incident.”
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