![]() ![]() When the gunman returned to the group huddling in the corner, some who had already been shot were crying out for help or moving slightly he systemically shot in the head anyone who appeared to be alive. The police said his actions allowed some of those trying to get through the door to escape. He fired 32 shots into the mass of people, before turning his attention to another huddled group trying to escape through a single exit door at one end of the room.īut there he was barred from killing more by an act of heroism: a man named Naeem Rashid threw himself at the gunman before being killed. In the corners of Al Noor, worshippers were huddled together and on top of each other in efforts to hide from the gunman, the court heard, as there was nowhere to escape in the open-plan prayer room. Where people were wounded, crying out, or trying to get away – the summary of facts read – the gunman would shoot again.Īs a description of one man’s death was read, the victim’s mother, in court, silently covered her mouth with her hands. Again and again, the prosecutor described cold-blooded executions, the gunman returning repeatedly to people he had already shot, firing again to ensure that they were dead. The crown’s summary of facts was read by one of the prosecutors. After electing to represent himself, he will have the opportunity to speak in court during a hearing that could present questions for the judge, and reporters, about whether any views he promotes should be suppressed or censored. Tarrant faces the possibility of being the first offender in New Zealand sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. Nothing visibly moved the gunman – not a description of his murder of a three-year-old child not that of a woman whose spinal injury will make her need a wheelchair for life, nor another whom he shot and later ran over as he fled one of the mosques. Wearing a grey prison sweatshirt and track pants he had a blank expression as he sat behind a glass barrier, occasionally looking around the room.Įarly in the hearing, he had twisted his fingers together so tightly that they had turned white. Tarrant was brought into the dock by four police officers with his hands shackled to his waist. On the day of the attacks, the terrorist had petrol cans in his car that, the police said, he intended to use as incendiary devices.Īfter the official account of events on Monday the first of dozens of victims due to speak during the four-day hearing read emotional statements in front of the gunman, in a subdued courtroom that was sparsely populated due to coronavirus restrictions. While there, he flew a drone over Al Noor mosque, scoping the building’s entrances and exits. He moved to New Zealand from Australia in 2017 and began planning the attacks, researching various New Zealand mosques, viewing plans of the buildings he intended to attack and making a trip to Christchurch from the southern city of Dunedin, where he lived, two months before the massacre. On Monday, a prosecutor read the authorities’ version of events, telling the court of the detail in which Tarrant had planned the attacks, buying multiple firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, ballistic armour and military-style vests. It also meant there has been no official account of the killings. His decision to abandon an earlier plea of not guilty averted a lengthy trial that was expected to take months. ![]() ![]() In another tweet, the New Zealand police said it was "doing all it can to resolve this incident." Four persons, three men and a woman, were taken into custody by the New Zealand police, according to AFP.Tarrant, a self-professed white supremacist who broadcast part of the massacre live on Facebook, pleaded guilty in March this year to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and a charge of terrorism. Officials said they were on the hunt for the shooter. Police officials also urged mosques across the nation "to shut their doors", adding people should "refrain from visiting these premises until further notice." We are working to have any footage removed.- New Zealand Police March 15, 2019 We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. ![]() Police are aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online. The lockdown from schools was later lifted by the New Zealand police. New Zealand has been on high alert, with Christchurch on lockdown with officials urging worshippers to not visit mosques "anywhere in New Zealand". New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said 49 people have died in the attack. Children are also believed to be among the dead. Another eyewitness said he heard shooting and saw his wife lying dead on the footpath as he was escaping, according to AFP. ![]()
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