Two 'people of interest' being spoken to after police officer shot dead in Auckland

June 19, 2020

A second officer was shot and injured and a member of the public was also injured.

Two people are being spoken to after a shooting in West Auckland today where a police officer was killed, another was seriously injured and a member of the public hurt.

Speaking to media at 5.30pm Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said police were following “strong lines of inquiry, including speaking to two people of interest”.

“We are still looking to establish the full circumstances,” Mr Coster said, and couldn’t confirm yet how exactly they were involved in the situation.

He said the pair were apprehended "a number of hours" after the incident at 10.28am in Massey - what was on the face of it going to be a routine traffic stop by police.

He said police had located a "firearm of interest".

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster revealed the new details from West Auckland.

Police around Auckland will continue to be armed until police are assured it was “no longer required” as "a precaution", Mr Coster said. 

The surviving officer suffered leg injuries and is still being treated in hospital for serious injuries. The officer is in a stable condition.

A cordon remains in place as investigations continue. 

“Our priority is to hold this offender to account," Mr Coster said.

Police are still hunting for the shooter in Auckland.

He said there was now no risk to the public.

DETAILS REVEALED OF SHOOTING

The two police officers were shot during a "routine traffic stop" on Reynella Drive, Massey, at 10.28am.

Mr Coster said police had located a vehicle of interest and tried to stop it. He couldn't give details as why police were interested in the vehicle.

Officers then quickly lost sight of it, Mr Coster says.

“The vehicle was located a short time later crashed on Reynella Drive.”

He says police then approached a vehicle. A person then got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots with a “long-barrelled” firearm.

Mr Coster says they then got into another vehicle and fled the scene with a second person.

He says that second vehicle, a silver Mazda sedan, was found abandoned at a “nearby location” and its two occupants then fled the scene.

A member of the public was hit by the vehicle as the shooter escaped and is being treated for minor injuries in hospital. That person is in stable condition, Mr Coster says.

"The incident points to the real risk that our officers face as they go about their jobs every day," Mr Coster says.

The officers were seriously injured during the traffic stop, police said.

"Staff safety and welfare are our absolute priority, and our whole organisation is in a state of shock."

Mr Coster couldn't provide any details about the police officer who died, saying they're still notifying their family and loved ones.

POLICE MINISTER 'ABSOLUTELY GUTTED' BY DEATH

Police Minister Stuart Nash says the police officer killed today was a man who had "dedicated his career to keeping us safe".

"To hear that a police officer's life has been taken this way is devastating," he told media today.

"We are absolutely gutted to be here, talking about the death of a very valued member of our community."

In a statement, he thanked those who were first on the scene to help, particularly the health professionals.

"Massey has a strong community spirit and this will be frightening for the locals caught up in this," he says.

"I urge members of the public to follow instructions from police and to keep themselves safe."

Mr Nash has vowed a full investigation will take place to find out exactly what happened.

"This is routine policing and to have this happen is devastating."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has paid tribute, saying the death is "devastating news".

"To lose a police officer is to lose someone working for all of us, but also a family member, someone’s loved one and friend. My condolences go to them and to their police whānau,” she says.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has also sent a message of support to the officer's family and "the wider police family".

"Those who only find fault in the police should pause to show respect for a dedicated police force who seek only to keep us safe," he says.

Flowers have been laid on Reynella Drive and the Henderson Police station.

Flowers laid at Reynella Drive, Auckland following a shooting which left one police officer dead.

'BIG SHOCK' FOR QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD

One man who lives in the area says the shooting is a "big shock" for the normally quiet neighbourhood .

"I heard a noise, bang, bang, bang, three times, then I came out and saw the police and ambulance were there," Eric Lew told 1 NEWS.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster spoke of his sadness at the West Auckland incident.

"I've never seen anything happen in this area before... It's really scary."

Cordons are in place and Reynella Rd is blocked off as police investigate and try to track down the shooter.

Members of the public are asked to avoid Massey, particularly around Don Buck Road, Waimumu Road, Hewlett Road and Triangle Road.

Multiple schools were put into lockdown earlier today, but the lockdown has since been lifted.

Massey Primary School has asked parents and caregivers to collect their children from the school directly, advising against students using public transport to get home.

However Massey High School has asked for students to continue with normal travel arrangements where possible, including students catching the bus.

Students who live in areas which have been cordoned off by police, including Hewlett Road, Reynella Drive, Zengaro Place and Talmar Place, are being made to stay at school for now with parents contacted for pick-up.

'NO WORDS' - FORMER LOCAL MP PAULA BENNETT

National MP Paula Bennett, who was previously the MP for Waitākere, has paid tribute to the local police force in a tweet.

"[They have] a love for their community, a real desire to protect and serve," she says. 

"There are no words to express my sincere sadness as they and their families deal with the worst possible event. We are all with you at this time."

Police say the last officer to die in the line of duty was in February 2011 during the collapse of Christchurch’s CTV building in the Canterbury earthquake. 

The last officer to die due to a criminal act was in 2009 from a fatal gunshot wound in Napier.

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