4 injured in ax attack at 3 restaurants in New Zealand
Police said a 24-year-old Chinese national attacked patrons at neighboring Chinese restaurants in an apparently unprovoked attack.
LEARN MOREPosted: 8:13 p.m. EDT Jul 19, 2023
A gunman shot and killed two people at a construction site in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday.
Authorities said there were additional injuries during the incident, but it was not immediately clear how they were caused.
Authorities said the gunman began shooting early on Thursday morning, moving through a building and firing at people as he went. Police sealed off the area and engaged the gunman, who later died. It was not clear if police killed the gunman, or if the gunman killed himself.
"Upon reaching the upper levels of the building, the male has contained himself within the elevator shaft and our staff have attempted to engage with him," acting Police Superintendent Sunny Patel said in a statement. "Further shots were fired from the male and he was located deceased a short time later."
The shooting took place as soccer teams gather for the FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement that the shooting appears to be an isolated incident. He reiterated that there was no apparent security threat, and said that the government had spoken with FIFA officials and agreed to continue play as planned.
Team Norway captain Maren Mjelde said the shooting happened near the hotel her team was staying at. She said the team was not concerned for its safety.
"FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad," she said in a statement. "Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight."
Officials said security at the soccer venue would be increased as the competition began. They encouraged ticketholders to arrive at the stadium early to account for possible delays.
