Plenty of gun laws but the end result is still the same!
Fatal shootings at Christchurch mosques
16:14, Mar 15 2019
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
Armed police at the scene of a shooting at a mosque in Deans Ave, Christchurch.
One person has been arrested, but police believe there may be other offenders involved in the fatal shootings of at least nine people at two mosques in Christchurch.
Sources say nine people have been confirmed dead following the shootings at the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave and the Linwood Masjid on Linwood Ave.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police were responding to "a very serious and tragic incident involving an active shooter in central Christchurch".
Ambulance crews were filmed taking the injured away from the scene of the shooting at a mosque in Christchurch.
Do you know anything about this incident? Email us at [email protected]
"One person is in custody, however police believe there may be other offenders.
"This is an evolving incident and we are working to confirm the facts, however we can confirm there have been a number of fatalities."
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
People outside the Deans Ave mosque on the edge of Christchurch's Hagley Park.
Officers were at several scenes around the city.
"We understand that there will be many anxious people but I can assure New Zealanders that police is doing all it can to resolve this incident.
"We urge New Zealanders to stay vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour immediately to 111."
Witness describes the moment a gunman opened fire.
He asked Christchurch residents to stay inside and said all mosques around the country should shut their doors.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was one on New Zealand's "darkest days".
Waikato law professor Al Gillespie said it was too early to speculate on the motives of the shooter, but drew a distinction between mass shootings and terrorism.
GEORGE HEARD
Police and members of the public stand in Hagley Park following the shooting at the Deans Ave mosque.
Terrorism was politically motivated, and international trends showed it was primarily motivated by jihad, left-wing and nationalist sentiment, he said.
"New Zealand terrorist threat risk is 'low' … compared to the rest of the world we're one of the safest countries in existence.
"If it's more than one person involved, then it's not a lone wolf, and then it's a cell, and the whole point of these security services is that these cells are detected."
GEORGE HEARD
A man outside the Deans Ave mosque on the edge of Hagley Park.
HOSPITAL ON ALERT
Stuff understands the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital has been cleared out. Hospital staff are expecting about 40 to 50 injured people.
Armed police have been checking all vehicles outside Christchurch Hospital.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Gunshots have been heard near the Christchurch Mosque on Deans Ave.
Police have urged anyone in central Christchurch to stay indoors and report any suspicious behaviour immediately to 111.
St John said in a statement that it was notified of a firearms incident in central Christchurch at 1.53pm on Friday.
"We have approximately 20 emergency ambulances and operational vehicles at scene providing support."
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
An armed police officer stands outside the Christchurch Mosque on Deans Ave following the shooting.
The charity is sending additional resources from around the country "to support our people on the ground at the Christchurch firearms incident".
A man, who would not give his name, said he was praying in the Deans Ave mosque when he heard the shooting start.
READ MORE:
* Live coverage: Shooting at Christchurch mosque
* Bangladesh cricket team escape Christchurch mosque shooting
He managed to escape, but saw his wife lying dead on the footpath outside.
"My wife is dead," he said, wailing. His head was supported by other Muslim men who prayed for him.
Another man said he saw children being shot.
Dozens of people were shot by a man wearing military uniform, who emptied at least two magazines.
"There were bodies all over me."
Deans Ave has been closed, while Linwood Ave has been closed between Aldwins Rd and Worcester St, and Brougham St (State Highway 76) has been closed between Antigua and Durham streets.
About 20 armed police have worked to clear buildings in Linwood, including Eastgate Mall, which will be closed for the rest of the day.
'INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTING' DURING PRAYERS
A resident on nearby Freyberg St said she heard "hundreds" of shots and it was "terrifying".
Muslim Association of Marlborough chairman Zayd Blissett said he found out about the shooting from a text sent by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand at 2.04pm, saying "50 shot" during Friday prayers in Christchurch.
"I'm just heartbroken. In fact I'm sitting here crying," he said.
"This is New Zealand. This can't happen here."
A man in the Deans Ave mosque at the time, who would not give his name, said there were "bodies all over me".
Ahmad Al-Mahmoud, 37, described the shooter as white-skinned, blond, quite short and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. He and others broke a window in a door to escape from the mosque. Prayers started at 1.30pm and the gunman came in about 10 minutes later, when everyone was on their knees praying, he said.
The gunman let off dozens, if not hundreds of rounds, he said.
South Island manager for Naki Labour Hire, Carl Pomare, was one of the first people on the scene.
"We were driving opposite the mosque at 1.40pm and we saw a whole lot of people outside the mosque entrance on the footpath and the next thing, we saw them run."
He heard shots going off rapidly like fireworks and saw people hitting the ground, he said.
Pomare, along with another two people from Heb Construction Limited formed a cordon with their cars, stopping people from approaching the area on the southern end.
Helping at the scene, Pomare said one of the people who had been shot was a 5-year-old girl.
Her father was nursing her and asking people for help, he said.
"We looked at it thinking we've got to get this little 5-year-old girl to the hospital now otherwise she's going to die.
"It was a pretty scary situation because there were still other shots being fired at the time inside the mosque.
SECOND SHOOTING AT LINWOOD MOSQUE
Sabir Hussain, who was inside the Linwood mosque, said he was "doing a prayer when our imam said our brothers have been shot".
He went into the washroom and saw one man dead outside through the window.
He knew he "was not safe", so jumped out of the window and hid behind a fence until police arrived.
A reporter at the scene said people at the cordon were hugging as they passed through the tape. One man wearing a prayer robe was covered in blood but appeared to be uninjured, she said.
Doctors from the Piki Te Ora health centre in Linwood Ave tried to help victims at the mosque but could not save anyone.
Syed Ahmed said he saw man wearing a black motorcycle helmet and camouflage clothing carrying what he thought was a black assault rifle with white writing.
The man started "indiscriminate shooting" from outside the mosque, first hitting several elderly people sitting on chairs during prayers.
"They were basically all shot."
He thought at least eight people had been shot, including at least three women and two of his friends. One had been shot in the head and remained inside the mosque, he said.
The man came through the front door "shouting something", but it "could not be heard over the screaming".
Ahmed said he kept "low on the ground" and crawled to the storeroom before getting away.
Mitch Redman said he saw four or five men with their hands on their heads being led out of the building about 2.20pm.
Police carried out two or three children from the building and put them in a car, he said.
Sheik Ali said his brother was inside and saw a gunman "open fire".
There were people on the ground, but no confirmed fatalities, Ali said.
"As a community we've never had an issue like this in New Zealand."
Linwood Dental Centre practice manager Janine Richmond said she heard about 20 gunshots come from the Linwood Mosque about 1.45pm.
She said armed offenders squad (AOS) members with dogs came in and searched the clinic, which is about 50 metres from the mosque, shortly after.
"They have told us to stay here because it's not safe. We can't leave and we've been told to stay in a room and stay away from the windows."
MAN STARTED 'JUST KILLING PEOPLE'
The former president of the Muslim Association of Canterbury Mohammed Jama said a man with a gun went into the Deans Ave mosque about 1.40pm on Friday.
About 300 people were inside the mosque "and he started shooting all the people".
He saw about four people injured and two people lying on the ground. He did not know if they were alive or dead.
One man who was there at the time said a man came in with an automatic rifle and was "just killing people". He ran.
Another witness said the man was wearing a helmet.
"He had a big gun and a lot of bullets and he came through and started shooting like everyone in the mosque, like everywhere, and they have to smash the door and the glass from the window and from the small door to try and get out."
The witness said the man fired more than 50 times.
Ahmed Tani, of the Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resource Centre, said he was walking to the mosque and was about 400m away when he heard many gunshots.
"I was really frightened," he said.
"I come from Somalia and the last time I heard the sound of gunfire was eight years ago.
"Then people were running towards me and shouting go, go, go."
The Bangladesh cricket team were in the mosque where shots were fired on Friday.
Cricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam posted a video to Twitter of the team rushing through Hagley Park away from the mosque.
Bangladesh are due to play New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Saturday. New Zealand Cricket has been contacted about if the game will still go ahead.
'EVERYONE IS SHOCKED' - MAYOR
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said she was "shocked beyond words" by the shootings.
"I would never have expected anything like this to happen in Christchurch, I'd never expect this to happen in New Zealand," she said.
"I am getting messages from around the country, and from around the world. I know that everyone is shocked".
Dalziel said she was not in a position to comment on the shootings themselves.
She said all civic buildings including the council headquarters, public library and art gallery were in lockdown.
She asked people to heed police advice to keep out of the central city, and to stay safe inside a building if they were already in the central city.
Police quickly cleared Cathedral Square, where thousands of children were rallying for action on climate change.
Fifty to 60 children have been kept inside the Christchurch City Council building on Hereford St. They had been visiting the council as part of Friday's action against climate change.
SCHOOLS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN LOCKDOWN
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said all Christchurch schools have been placed into lockdown. Tertiary institutes have also been locked down.
Families from various schools were sent text messages about 2.05pm, which said: "This is not an exercise."
The Canterbury District Health Board said the public should not attend Christchurch Hospital unless it is an emergency.
A spokeswoman said the board has activated its mass casualty plan and all appointments have been cancelled on Friday afternoon.
No staff or patients are to enter or leave the building.
The spokeswoman did not know how many patients were expected, adding it was an "evolving situation".
Christchurch Hospital, the nearby outpatients building, and Hillmorton and Princess Margaret hospitals are in lockdown.
A spokeswoman for St George's, a private hospital, said management was keeping in close contact with Christchurch Hospital about the situation.
The city's justice and emergency services precinct was placed in lockdown about 2.20pm with a warning on the public address system that staff and visitors should stay away from external windows and close blinds if possible. Armed police were reported outside the entrances.
"There are reports of active shooters in the Christchurch area," the announcement said.
District Court judges were away at a seminar on Friday and arrests were being handled by Justices of the Peace. That afternoon session was delayed, but the JPs remained at the court where the staff closed blinds, to try to get the arrests processed.
Fatal shootings at Christchurch mosques
16:14, Mar 15 2019
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
Armed police at the scene of a shooting at a mosque in Deans Ave, Christchurch.
One person has been arrested, but police believe there may be other offenders involved in the fatal shootings of at least nine people at two mosques in Christchurch.
Sources say nine people have been confirmed dead following the shootings at the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave and the Linwood Masjid on Linwood Ave.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police were responding to "a very serious and tragic incident involving an active shooter in central Christchurch".
Ambulance crews were filmed taking the injured away from the scene of the shooting at a mosque in Christchurch.
Do you know anything about this incident? Email us at [email protected]
"One person is in custody, however police believe there may be other offenders.
"This is an evolving incident and we are working to confirm the facts, however we can confirm there have been a number of fatalities."
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
People outside the Deans Ave mosque on the edge of Christchurch's Hagley Park.
Officers were at several scenes around the city.
"We understand that there will be many anxious people but I can assure New Zealanders that police is doing all it can to resolve this incident.
"We urge New Zealanders to stay vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour immediately to 111."
Witness describes the moment a gunman opened fire.
He asked Christchurch residents to stay inside and said all mosques around the country should shut their doors.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was one on New Zealand's "darkest days".
Waikato law professor Al Gillespie said it was too early to speculate on the motives of the shooter, but drew a distinction between mass shootings and terrorism.
GEORGE HEARD
Police and members of the public stand in Hagley Park following the shooting at the Deans Ave mosque.
Terrorism was politically motivated, and international trends showed it was primarily motivated by jihad, left-wing and nationalist sentiment, he said.
"New Zealand terrorist threat risk is 'low' … compared to the rest of the world we're one of the safest countries in existence.
"If it's more than one person involved, then it's not a lone wolf, and then it's a cell, and the whole point of these security services is that these cells are detected."
GEORGE HEARD
A man outside the Deans Ave mosque on the edge of Hagley Park.
HOSPITAL ON ALERT
Stuff understands the emergency department at Christchurch Hospital has been cleared out. Hospital staff are expecting about 40 to 50 injured people.
Armed police have been checking all vehicles outside Christchurch Hospital.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Gunshots have been heard near the Christchurch Mosque on Deans Ave.
Police have urged anyone in central Christchurch to stay indoors and report any suspicious behaviour immediately to 111.
St John said in a statement that it was notified of a firearms incident in central Christchurch at 1.53pm on Friday.
"We have approximately 20 emergency ambulances and operational vehicles at scene providing support."
GEORGE HEARD/STUFF
An armed police officer stands outside the Christchurch Mosque on Deans Ave following the shooting.
The charity is sending additional resources from around the country "to support our people on the ground at the Christchurch firearms incident".
A man, who would not give his name, said he was praying in the Deans Ave mosque when he heard the shooting start.
READ MORE:
* Live coverage: Shooting at Christchurch mosque
* Bangladesh cricket team escape Christchurch mosque shooting
He managed to escape, but saw his wife lying dead on the footpath outside.
"My wife is dead," he said, wailing. His head was supported by other Muslim men who prayed for him.
Another man said he saw children being shot.
Dozens of people were shot by a man wearing military uniform, who emptied at least two magazines.
"There were bodies all over me."
Deans Ave has been closed, while Linwood Ave has been closed between Aldwins Rd and Worcester St, and Brougham St (State Highway 76) has been closed between Antigua and Durham streets.
About 20 armed police have worked to clear buildings in Linwood, including Eastgate Mall, which will be closed for the rest of the day.
'INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTING' DURING PRAYERS
A resident on nearby Freyberg St said she heard "hundreds" of shots and it was "terrifying".
Muslim Association of Marlborough chairman Zayd Blissett said he found out about the shooting from a text sent by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand at 2.04pm, saying "50 shot" during Friday prayers in Christchurch.
"I'm just heartbroken. In fact I'm sitting here crying," he said.
"This is New Zealand. This can't happen here."
A man in the Deans Ave mosque at the time, who would not give his name, said there were "bodies all over me".
Ahmad Al-Mahmoud, 37, described the shooter as white-skinned, blond, quite short and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. He and others broke a window in a door to escape from the mosque. Prayers started at 1.30pm and the gunman came in about 10 minutes later, when everyone was on their knees praying, he said.
The gunman let off dozens, if not hundreds of rounds, he said.
South Island manager for Naki Labour Hire, Carl Pomare, was one of the first people on the scene.
"We were driving opposite the mosque at 1.40pm and we saw a whole lot of people outside the mosque entrance on the footpath and the next thing, we saw them run."
He heard shots going off rapidly like fireworks and saw people hitting the ground, he said.
Pomare, along with another two people from Heb Construction Limited formed a cordon with their cars, stopping people from approaching the area on the southern end.
Helping at the scene, Pomare said one of the people who had been shot was a 5-year-old girl.
Her father was nursing her and asking people for help, he said.
"We looked at it thinking we've got to get this little 5-year-old girl to the hospital now otherwise she's going to die.
"It was a pretty scary situation because there were still other shots being fired at the time inside the mosque.
SECOND SHOOTING AT LINWOOD MOSQUE
Sabir Hussain, who was inside the Linwood mosque, said he was "doing a prayer when our imam said our brothers have been shot".
He went into the washroom and saw one man dead outside through the window.
He knew he "was not safe", so jumped out of the window and hid behind a fence until police arrived.
A reporter at the scene said people at the cordon were hugging as they passed through the tape. One man wearing a prayer robe was covered in blood but appeared to be uninjured, she said.
Doctors from the Piki Te Ora health centre in Linwood Ave tried to help victims at the mosque but could not save anyone.
Syed Ahmed said he saw man wearing a black motorcycle helmet and camouflage clothing carrying what he thought was a black assault rifle with white writing.
The man started "indiscriminate shooting" from outside the mosque, first hitting several elderly people sitting on chairs during prayers.
"They were basically all shot."
He thought at least eight people had been shot, including at least three women and two of his friends. One had been shot in the head and remained inside the mosque, he said.
The man came through the front door "shouting something", but it "could not be heard over the screaming".
Ahmed said he kept "low on the ground" and crawled to the storeroom before getting away.
Mitch Redman said he saw four or five men with their hands on their heads being led out of the building about 2.20pm.
Police carried out two or three children from the building and put them in a car, he said.
Sheik Ali said his brother was inside and saw a gunman "open fire".
There were people on the ground, but no confirmed fatalities, Ali said.
"As a community we've never had an issue like this in New Zealand."
Linwood Dental Centre practice manager Janine Richmond said she heard about 20 gunshots come from the Linwood Mosque about 1.45pm.
She said armed offenders squad (AOS) members with dogs came in and searched the clinic, which is about 50 metres from the mosque, shortly after.
"They have told us to stay here because it's not safe. We can't leave and we've been told to stay in a room and stay away from the windows."
MAN STARTED 'JUST KILLING PEOPLE'
The former president of the Muslim Association of Canterbury Mohammed Jama said a man with a gun went into the Deans Ave mosque about 1.40pm on Friday.
About 300 people were inside the mosque "and he started shooting all the people".
He saw about four people injured and two people lying on the ground. He did not know if they were alive or dead.
One man who was there at the time said a man came in with an automatic rifle and was "just killing people". He ran.
Another witness said the man was wearing a helmet.
"He had a big gun and a lot of bullets and he came through and started shooting like everyone in the mosque, like everywhere, and they have to smash the door and the glass from the window and from the small door to try and get out."
The witness said the man fired more than 50 times.
Ahmed Tani, of the Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resource Centre, said he was walking to the mosque and was about 400m away when he heard many gunshots.
"I was really frightened," he said.
"I come from Somalia and the last time I heard the sound of gunfire was eight years ago.
"Then people were running towards me and shouting go, go, go."
The Bangladesh cricket team were in the mosque where shots were fired on Friday.
Cricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent Mohammad Isam posted a video to Twitter of the team rushing through Hagley Park away from the mosque.
Bangladesh are due to play New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Saturday. New Zealand Cricket has been contacted about if the game will still go ahead.
'EVERYONE IS SHOCKED' - MAYOR
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said she was "shocked beyond words" by the shootings.
"I would never have expected anything like this to happen in Christchurch, I'd never expect this to happen in New Zealand," she said.
"I am getting messages from around the country, and from around the world. I know that everyone is shocked".
Dalziel said she was not in a position to comment on the shootings themselves.
She said all civic buildings including the council headquarters, public library and art gallery were in lockdown.
She asked people to heed police advice to keep out of the central city, and to stay safe inside a building if they were already in the central city.
Police quickly cleared Cathedral Square, where thousands of children were rallying for action on climate change.
Fifty to 60 children have been kept inside the Christchurch City Council building on Hereford St. They had been visiting the council as part of Friday's action against climate change.
SCHOOLS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN LOCKDOWN
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said all Christchurch schools have been placed into lockdown. Tertiary institutes have also been locked down.
Families from various schools were sent text messages about 2.05pm, which said: "This is not an exercise."
The Canterbury District Health Board said the public should not attend Christchurch Hospital unless it is an emergency.
A spokeswoman said the board has activated its mass casualty plan and all appointments have been cancelled on Friday afternoon.
No staff or patients are to enter or leave the building.
The spokeswoman did not know how many patients were expected, adding it was an "evolving situation".
Christchurch Hospital, the nearby outpatients building, and Hillmorton and Princess Margaret hospitals are in lockdown.
A spokeswoman for St George's, a private hospital, said management was keeping in close contact with Christchurch Hospital about the situation.
The city's justice and emergency services precinct was placed in lockdown about 2.20pm with a warning on the public address system that staff and visitors should stay away from external windows and close blinds if possible. Armed police were reported outside the entrances.
"There are reports of active shooters in the Christchurch area," the announcement said.
District Court judges were away at a seminar on Friday and arrests were being handled by Justices of the Peace. That afternoon session was delayed, but the JPs remained at the court where the staff closed blinds, to try to get the arrests processed.
.. then went back to his car, switched weapon and went back in to finish off the ones still moaning in agony
