NZ gunman kills two on eve of Women’s Soccer World Cup

NZ incident: At least two individuals and an armed assailant lost their lives, while five others sustained injuries in a shooting incident in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, on Thursday, just hours before the opening match of the Women’s Soccer World Cup in the same city.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins assured that the soccer tournament would proceed as scheduled, stating that the shooting seemed to be the actions of a lone individual, and no other suspects were being sought by the police.

He emphasized that the incident had no identified political or ideological motivation and posed no national security risk.

Despite the tragic event, New Zealand’s security threat level would remain unchanged, though there would be an increased police presence in the city, according to the Prime Minister.

The gunman, who is believed to be a 24-year-old male, was employed at the construction site where the shooting occurred. He was armed with a pump-action shotgun and opened fire within the building site before eventually being found dead in an elevator shaft.

Authorities revealed that the gunman had a history of family violence but had an exemption to work at the site. The incident, while near the Norwegian team hotel, was confirmed to be unrelated to the Women’s World Cup’s football operations, and the opening match proceeded as planned.

FIFA and participating teams received support in light of the incident, ensuring necessary measures were taken to address any impacts on the teams in close proximity to the shooting location.

New Zealand, known for its stringent gun laws following the Christchurch mass shooting in 2019, rarely experiences gun violence. The government has already banned military-style semi-automatics and other deadly firearms.

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