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New Zealand police officers shot during routine traffic stop

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern holds up a card showing a new alert system for COVID-19, Saturday, March 21, 2020, in Wellington, New Zealand. For the first time in New Zealand, health authorities said there might be a local outbreak.   | Photo Credit: AP

Gun crime remains relatively rare in New Zealand, where laws have been tightened twice since a gunman killed 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch last year in the country's worst peace-time mass shooting

New Zealand police were hunting for a person who shot and seriously injured two officers on Friday during a routine traffic stop before driving away in the city of Auckland.

A member of the public was hit by the vehicle as the suspect drove off, police said in a statement on Twitter.

“Cordons are in place and schools in the immediate area have been advised to lock down,” Superintendent Naila Hassan, Waitemata district commander, said in a statement.

Gun crime remains relatively rare in New Zealand, where laws have been tightened twice since a gunman killed 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch last year in the country's worst peace-time mass shooting.

The country's lawmakers on Thursday passed legislation to create a new firearms registry that licence holders will be required to update as they buy or sell guns.

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