Three of the six people who were injured by a terrorist shot dead by police at a West Auckland supermarket this afternoon are in a critical condition in hospital.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
St John said three patients in a critical condition and one patient in a serious condition were taken to Auckland city hospital; one patient in a moderate condition was taken to Waitakere hospital; and one patient in a moderate condition was taken to Middlemore Hospital.
Heavily armed police and ambulances were at the scene at LynnMall in New Lynn.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The Prime Minister confirmed this afternoon the terrorist was a Sri Lankan national who arrived in New Zealand in October 2011 and became a person of national security interest from 2016.
He was shot dead by a police team who were surveilling him a minute after the attack started.
Police said there was absolutely nothing to indicate the man intended to carry out an attack.
In a statement this evening Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said police were not seeking anyone else in relation to the attack and were confident the man acted alone.
"Our police staff acted quickly and with great courage to stop this man and prevent any further harm to members of the public," he said.
"I want to acknowledge this quick response and the bravery of the police staff who responded."
How the events unfolded throughout the day:
Police at the scene of today's incident. Photo: RNZ / Veronica Schmidt
George Francisco was outside the mall when he got a panicked call from his wife, who works at a pharmacy inside. She told him she saw a woman running through the mall, saying she had been stabbed.
His wife then heard five gunshots. She told him that a "number of people" were wounded.
Photo: RNZ / Richard Sutherland
A pharmacy worker at LynnMall said they were barricaded in the pharmacy.
The pharmacy is located at the other end of the mall to Countdown, so staff did not witness the incident but a customer reported cars rushing out of the mall's car park.
Aanya Diveka was among a group of people who barricaded themselves inside the LynnMall pharmacy. She had been to get her Covid vaccination and was waiting outside the pharmacy for her 15 minutes stand down when she heard screaming.
People inside the pharmacy called security for help.
When they heard gunshots in the mall, some people ran into a back room in the pharmacy where the vaccinations were being carried out.
She said people were panicking and upset. One woman was struggling to breathe.
There was no lock on the door, so two strong men stood against the door to block it.
Eventually, they were escorted out by pharmacy staff out a back exit from the mall.
