The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Auckland on Thursday evening under the shadow of a shooting in New Zealand’s largest city that left three people dead and five injured.
(Bloomberg) — The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Auckland on Thursday evening under the shadow of a shooting in New Zealand’s largest city that left three people dead and five injured.
Heightened security is in place for the opening ceremony and first game of the soccer tournament, which start just hours after armed police responded to a gunman on the loose at a building site in downtown Auckland. Workers fled or hid from the shooter, who killed two people and exchanged fire with police before being found dead in an elevator shaft.
The incident took place just a short distance from hotels where a number of the World Cup teams are staying. The site was also close to a fan zone where hundreds of people were expected to gather later Thursday to celebrate the beginning of the event.
That zone will now not open out of respect to those killed, Auckland Council said in a statement.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said there would be an increased police presence at tonight’s events to reassure the public but reiterated there was no wider national security threat.
“I will be going, it is safe to go,” he said. “We’re very proud to be hosting the event in New Zealand. Obviously we would prefer it not to have started in this way.”
Norway team captain Maren Mjelde, whose side takes on New Zealand in the opening game, said her players felt safe during the incident.
“FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad,” she told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “Everyone seems calm. We are preparing as normal for the game tonight.”
Auckland’s Eden Park, where the opening ceremony and first game are being held, urged ticket holders to arrive at the stadium early due to the increased security checks.
“It is a sad day for Auckland on what should be a day of celebration,” Nick Sautner, chief executive officer at Eden Park, said.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the offender was a 24-year-old man with a history of family violence. He was on home detention but had an exemption to work at the construction site where the shooting took place, he told a press briefing.
As the shooter moved through the building with a pump-action shotgun, many workers took cover and hid, Coster said. Four of the wounded were members of the public and the fifth was a police officer, with injuries ranging from moderate to serious.
Shootings are relatively rare in New Zealand, which is regarded as one of the safest countries in the world. But the nation was shocked by a massacre in 2019 at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch that left 51 people dead.
FIFA said in a tweet that it has been in constant contact with the participating teams affected by today’s incident.
–With assistance from Tracy Withers.
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