Wellington: As New Zealand prepared to host matches in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer tournament, a shooter killed two people before taking his own life at an Auckland construction site on Thursday, according to authorities.
Multiple injuries were reported by police following the incident, which happened close to the hotel where Team Norway was staying.
Around 7:20 a.m., according to acting police superintendent Sunny Patel, the man started shooting at the location on lower Queen Street. Streets were blocked off and police descended in force.
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According to Patel, the man walked through the structure while firing at the occupants.
The male has contained himself inside the elevator shaft after making it to the upper floors of the building, and our staff has made an effort to talk to him, Patel said in a statement. "The male fired more shots, and a short while later, he was discovered dead."
It wasn't immediately clear if the shooter had been killed by police or if he had committed suicide. Despite being troubling, the incident, according to Patel, was isolated and did not endanger national security.
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As many soccer teams gathered in New Zealand for the FIFA Women's World Cup, the incident occurred. Norway and New Zealand will play the opening game on Thursday.
Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, postponed a trip to Hamilton and was getting ready to brief the media on the situation.
People were abruptly awakened when a helicopter started hovering outside the hotel window, according to Team Norway captain Maren Mjelde.
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In a statement, she claimed, "We felt safe the entire time. "FIFA has a strong security system at the hotel, and our squad has a dedicated security officer. We are preparing as usual for the game tonight, and everyone seems calm.