Manhunt under way in Auckland after cop shot and killed during traffic stop
Auckland: A police officer has died after two officers were shot and another person was hit by a car in West Auckland on Friday morning, Stuff understands.
Superintendent Naila Hassan, Waitemata District Commander, said the two officers were seriously injured after being shot at during a routine traffic stop in Massey, about 10.30am local time.
The member of the public was injured when hit by a vehicle fleeing the scene.
Armed police at the scene after the offender fled the scene in West Auckland on on Friday morning.Credit:Chris Mckeen/Stuff
Stuff understands the two officers suffered gun shot wounds to the abdomen and were taken to Auckland City Hospital, where one has since died.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told a press conference the second officer was shot in the leg and was in a serious condition in hospital. The person hit by the car has minor injuries.
He said a long barrelled firearm was used by the offender. Police earlier confirmed the offender had opened "fire on our staff". The officers were unarmed.
A large number of armed officers were searching for two people seen in the car. It understood they had changed vehicles.
Coster said: "This is a terrible day for us ... any death of an officer is an absolute tragedy.”
“It unfolded very quickly and occurred during routine policing.”
"Cordons are in place and schools in the immediate area have been advised to lock down," Superintendent Naila Hassan, Waitemata district commander, said in an earlier statement.
An officer was killed and another is in hospital following the shooting during a traffic stop in West Auckland.Credit:Chris McKeen/Stuff
Resident Justin Nicholas said he heard five or six gun shots in quick succession before he saw police storming up the road.
“It was pretty scary.”
Eric Lew, who lives nearby told TVNZ, he heard a noise and "bang, bang, bang three times" before he saw police and ambulances.
Neighbour Rick Thorburn heard multiple gun shots and said he saw two people running from the scene and jumping a fence.
Thorburn believed he heard someone open fire and another “return fire”.
Janelle Blackmoore, a volunteer gardener, also believed more than one firearm was used in the incident.
Another witness said they saw two men in a silver Mazda Demio speeding from the scene immediately after hearing shots.
Another resident understood road workers helped the injured officers.
Six detectives and several more officers were focussing their attention on a cordoned-off area.
Detectives from the Waitemata district were interviewing neighbours as officers with Bushmaster rifles stood guard.
Officers escorted a distressed young woman and a young man from the scene to a waiting police car shortly after noon. They accompanied police willingly.
Gun crime remains relatively rare in New Zealand, where laws have been tightened twice since a terrorist killed 51 Muslim worshippers in Christchurch last year in the country's worst peace-time mass shooting. New gun control laws we enacted shortly after banning the deadliest types of semiautomatic weapons.
On Thursday Parliament passed legislation to create a new firearms registry that licence holders will be required to update as they buy or sell guns.
Stuff.co.nz, Reuters, AP