Victims remembered on 30th anniversary of Aramoana massacre

November 13, 2020

Thirteen people were shot dead by a gunman in the township near Dunedin on November 13, 1990.

Today marks 30 years since the Aramoana massacre, a crime that shook New Zealand.

Thirteen people were killed during a rampage by a lone gunman in the seaside town at the mouth of Otago Harbour, including the first police officer on scene, Sergeant Stewart Guthrie.

The gunman was found by police the next day during a house-by-house search, he was wounded and later died.

The massacre let to tighter firearms restrictions at the time and was New Zealand’s deadliest mass shooting until the Christchurch terrorist attack last year.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster acknowledged the 1990 shooting in a statement saying: “Today we acknowledge the lives lost, and the lives forever changed, following the senseless shooting at Aramoana on this day in 1990.”

“On days like today the grief of those who knew those who died is felt as keenly as it was all those years ago.

“To the victims’ families and friends, to those who helped and protected neighbours, and to the first responders, including our own staff, who risked their own lives to protect the Aramoana community, we commend your strength and keep you in our thoughts today.”

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