'I don't know how many people died' - Witnesses of Christchurch mosque shooting

March 15, 2019

Mahmood Nazeer fled the mosque before seeing a gunman changing weapons during the shooting.

Witnesses of the shooting at a mosque in central Christchurch says they don’t know how many people died.

Mohammed Nazir said it was around 1.45pm when he "heard the big sound, the gun".

"The second shot, I run, lots of people were sitting on the floor," he told media.

"The gun was (at the) front door, I run behind the mosque and I was sitting behind… and I called the police and the police take a long time."

Mr Nazir said he climbed the wall outside the mosque and remained on the phone to police until officers arrived.

He said there were multiple deaths and injuries, including three women he saw bleeding on the ground outside the mosque.

The man said he ran away from the shooter to a spot behind the mosque where he called police.

Another witness, Mahmood Nazeer, told 1 NEWS he fled the mosque before seeing one of the gunman changing weapons during the shooting.

"We heard the firing, it was from the main entrance of the building, then everyone run to the backdoors just to save themselves, first we hide behind the cars, under the cars."

"When we see the firing still on, we tried to jump the fence then we hide next house to the mosque."

"When firing stopped I looked over the fence and there was one guy changing the gun and taking another one because he park on the driveway next to the mosque house."

Mr Nazeer told 1 NEWS he was relieved to hear his wife and child were safe.

"I don’t know how many people died."

Following this developing situation through 1 NEWS NOW's live updates

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