AUCKLAND, New Zealand — A gunman using a pump-action shotgun opened fire along Auckland’s scenic harbor Thursday morning, killing two and wounding half a dozen others less than 12 hours before the women’s World Cup was scheduled to kickoff at less than three miles away at Eden Park Stadium, authorities said.
The shooter, identified on local TV as a 24-year-old who was wearing an ankle bracelet, was also found dead after engaging with police in an elevator shaft. At least one officer was among the wounded.
According to authorities, the incident began at about 7:22 a.m. at a construction site near Queen Street, where Auckland’s main thoroughfare intersects and ends at the city’s ferry terminal. Three of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition.
“Obviously this has been a very grim morning for us,” prime minister Chris Hipkins said at a news conference. No motive for the shooting has been established and Hipkins said authorities believe the gunman acted alone.
“There is no national security factor that has been identified here,” the prime minister said. “The police have this situation under control.”
Hipkins’ anticipated attendance at Thursday’s World Cup opener between New Zealand and Norway was being reviewed. The tournament was expected to go on as planned, Hipkins said, although security will be stepped up at tournament venues.
The official FIFA fan fest, where tens of thousands of people typically congregate, is located near the shooting site and an event hosted by Tourism New Zealand was scheduled to take place there at noon Thursday. However, blocks of Auckland’s downtown were closed for hours after the shooting, snarling traffic as police gathered evidence.
Many World Cup teams are housed in hotels near the location of the shooting, including Norway, which is staying less than a quarter-mile away.
“Everyone probably woke up quite quickly when the helicopter hovered outside the hotel window and a large number of emergency vehicles arrived,” team captain Maren Mjeldeb said. “At first we didn’t know what was going on, but eventually there were updates on TV and the local media.
“We felt safe the whole time. FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad. Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal. We may have to adapt if there are any instructions from the authorities.”
The U.S. team, whose hotel is a couple of blocks from the shooting site, issued a statement on social media saying that “all of our players and staff are accounted for and safe” and “our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule.”
The Philippines team, which is also staying nearby, was given police protection as players boarded their bus to head to training
Authorities said a helicopter was over the scene three minutes after police were called with reports of a shooting and when officers arrived, they found construction workers huddled in place. The sirens of police and ambulances could be heard wailing through Auckland’s canyon-like central business district for much of the morning.
The prime minister said officers ran into the line of fire to confront the gunman, who was found dead in the upper levels of the construction site.
“These kinds of situations move fast and the actions of those who risk their lives to save others are nothing short of heroic,” Hipkins said.
