A man stormed a high-rise construction site in downtown Auckland early Thursday morning, shooting at terrified workers and killing two people hours before New Zealand plans to host the first game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament. 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 teams have been staying. New Zealand Prime Minster Chris Hipkins said the tournament would go ahead as planned. The opening match is scheduled for Thursday between New Zealand and Norway.
Zealand A man stormed a high-rise construction site in downtown Auckland early Thursday morning, shooting at terrified workers and killing two people hours before New Zealand planned to host the first game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament.
The gunman was found dead after a police shootout, during which an officer was shot and wounded. Four civilians were also injured.
The shooting happened near hotels where Team Norway and other soccer teams have been staying.
New Zealand Prime Minster Chris Hipkins said the tournament would go ahead as scheduled.
“Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland,” Hipkins said. “The government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned.”
“I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat,” he added. “This appears to be the action of one individual.”
The shooting jarred New Zealand, where active shooter incidents are rare, leading the country’s the main news websites and broadcasts.
Hipkins said the man was armed with a shotgun, adding that police arrived within minutes of the first emergency call and ran into harm’s way to save lives.
