2 people killed in Auckland shooting, gunman dead: New Zealand police

SYDNEY: New Zealand police said on Thursday (Jul 20) that two people and the gunman were killed in a shooting at a construction site in Auckland, the country’s largest city, and multiple people were injured.

“The male offender is also deceased,” the police said in a statement, adding that the incident was not a national security risk.

Several streets in Auckland have been cordoned off and all ferry services into the city have been cancelled while buses running through some areas of the city will be detoured, authorities said.

The incident has been contained to a building under construction, police said. A large police presence remained in the area and multiple emergency services have responded, police said.

“This is a scary situation for Aucklanders on their Thursday morning commute to work. Please stay at home, avoid travel into the city centre,” Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said in a tweet.

The shooting in one of the busy streets in the city centre came just hours ahead of the opening match of the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup at Eden Park in Auckland.

A training session for the Italian team has been delayed as players cannot get out of their hotel, the team said.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has cancelled a trip to the city of Hamilton, about 120km south of Auckland, and is on his way back to the national capital Wellington, media reports said.