The attack took place near hotels hosting international teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cup
At least two people were killed and several more injured during a mass shooting in New Zealand on Thursday, according to local police, with the gunman engaging in a standoff with law enforcement before he was neutralized.
The attacker opened fire at a building site in Auckland early on Thursday morning, the city’s Acting Police Superintendent Sunny Patel said. In addition to the two killed, six people were wounded in the shooting, which unfolded near hotels where Team Norway and other soccer teams are staying ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup event.
Not long after the attack began, the shooter holed up in an elevator shaft and continued to fire at police, Patel said, adding that the gunman was found dead “a short time later.” It is unclear if he was killed by police or took his own life, however.