Two people were killed with six others injured after a shooting incident in Auckland ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 opening ceremony on Thursday.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins asserted that the deadly incident is not a threat to national security even though the gunman was confirmed dead.
The shooting incident took place at a building site, two miles away from the venue of the opening match – Eden Park, in Auckland at about 7:20 am local time and police confirmed that the gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun.
A police officer was injured by the gunshots and he is confirmed to be in stable condition for surgery while the police authorities continue to work for the identification of the gunman who is reported to be around 24 years old.
The shooting took place near the Norwegian team hotel in downtown Auckland, and several players took to social media to report they were safe while Italy team’s training was delayed as players could not get out of their hotel
