An Australian woman living in New Zealand has described the terrifying moment she fled for cover after gunshots rang out in a mass shooting in Auckland on Thursday.
At least three people, including the gunman, were killed after a man opened fire at a construction site, just hours before the women’s football World Cup was due to begin there.
The 24-year-old shooter was wearing an ankle monitor when he entered a building on lower Queen Street at about 7.20am local time on Thursday.
The shooter was sentenced in March on charges of injuring with intent to injure, wilful damage, male assaults female and impeding breathing, NZ website Stuff reported.
Australian Erin Sokolowsky told the Today show she was on her way to work when the chaos unfolded.
‘It’s all started to hit a little bit, especially when you hear that people died,’ she said.
Australian woman Erin Sokolowsky (pictured) has described the terrifying moment she fled for cover after gunshots rang out in a mass shooting in Auckland on Thursday
‘You obviously put yourself in that position where that could have been yourself, when you’re in close proximity to hearing shots fired.
‘I’ve had a bit of shock and I’ve shed a few tears.’
Ms Sokolowsky said the reality of what happened is starting to sink in for her.
‘It’s really sobering … I was going to be attending some of the (World Cup) celebrations tonight, and I don’t really feel like it anymore…
‘I just ran with fear. And now hearing that people died and thinking that could have been myself, of course I’m not going to go out and celebrate tonight.
‘And I feel sorry for all the hard work that’s been put into that.
‘The biggest fear you have is, I suppose, other people seeing that and having copycat (incidents).’
NZ police are pictured on the scene in Auckland CBD, New Zealand, responding to a mass shooting
She said she had seen a stabbing outside her window just a few weeks ago. ‘It’s a bit much … it’s very overwhelming.
‘As humans we’re not really meant to experience these kinds of things and it takes a really macabre … kind of person to do something like this.
‘In one half hour to an hour moment it made almost a whole city of people in the CBD feel unsafe.
‘What’s hitting me is it’s not the police’s fault – I think that things can be done to improve safety around the city – but the biggest fear is what happens to your mental state.
‘No matter how safe you’re told it is or if you know that the threat is gone, the challenge now is the fact that that feeling stays with you …
‘We’re slowly seeing a decline of safety in the city. I think that’s the serious part because (extreme violence) is becoming more and more common,’ she said.
A police officer is pictured at the site of a mass shooting in Auckland on July 20, 2023
Police interview construction workers in the central business district following a mass shooting in Auckland, New Zealand, Thursday, July 20, 2023
Earlier, Ms Sokolowsky described how the shooting unfolded. ‘I haven’t seen an incident this big in a while, so clearly something was going on,’ she said.
‘Within a minute of walking past (the construction site), waiting for the lights, gunfire started and people started running left, right and centre.
‘They said five shots. It sounded like more than that. Really loud and felt really close and we couldn’t hear or see where it was coming from.
‘The best thing we can do is run and hide behind a wall and hightail it out of there.’
Ms Sokolowsky, who works just a block away on Collins St, told host Karl Stefanovic the area was highly populated.
‘We don’t know what went on, who is dead … it was scary,’ she said.
‘Hearing the gunshots alone is enough to terrify you, but not knowing what is going on and the confusion that followed.
‘I would definitely say I have never experienced anything like that before, like something you see on movies. A city is meant to be a place where people are safe.’
Ms Sokolowsky praised the response of police who quickly cordoned off the area.
The NZ Herald reported at least one of the people injured was a police officer.
‘This is a scary situation for Aucklanders on their Thursday morning commute to work,’ Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown tweeted.
‘Please stay at home, avoid travel into the city centre.’
Commuters captured some of the police response on video shared widely on social media.
A worker told Stuff he was heading towards the Shed 10 building on Queens Wharf when he saw police with guns running towards the area.
Armed New Zealand police officers stand outside a hotel housing a team from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the central business district following a mass shooting in Auckland on Thursday, July 20, 2023
Police officers are pictured speaking with construction workers after a shooting in Auckland, New Zealand on Thursday, July 20, 2023 as the nation prepared to host games in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament
He was told by an officer to run and get behind a hard and solid object.
‘The area hadn’t been blocked off by then,’ Dion Hosking said.
‘There were hundreds of construction and office workers watching.
‘I was about to go in, and then all of a sudden I heard bang, bang, bang.’
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the shooter had no known ideological or political motivation.
He told a press conference the offender was armed with a pump-action shotgun and that the two people killed had been innocent civilians.
‘I want to thank the brave men and women of the New Zealand police, who ran into the gunfire, straight into harm’s way, in order to save the lives of others,’ he said.
‘These kind of situations move fast and the actions of those who risk their lives to save others are nothing short of heroic.’
Police officers cordon off the site of a mass shooting in central Auckland on July 20, 2023
Mr Hipkins confirmed the FIFA Women’s World Cup would go ahead as planned and reiterated the shooting was not an act of terrorism.
‘Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland. The government’s spoken to FIFA organisers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned,’ he said.
‘I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the actions of one individual.
‘My understanding from the advice we’ve received so far is that there was no identified political or ideological motivation for the shooting and therefore no national security risk.’
Former New Zealand international Maia Jackman said she was standing in the fan zone known as the Cloud at a nearby wharf when police swarmed the area.
‘It’s pretty scary actually. So they pushed us to the back of the cloud where we are and we’re just trying to keep sane,’ she said.
‘There’s lots of security and lots of uncertainty.’
A decision on the opening of the fan festival at The Cloud has been delayed until later today, pending further advice from the police.
New Zealand are due to play Norway at 7pm local time, which is 5pm in Sydney, 8am in London, 3am in New York and midnight in Los Angeles.
Australia’s Sam Kerr (pictured in Melbourne, Friday, July 14, 2023) will play with the Matildas against Ireland in the Women’s World Cup on Thursday night
Maia Jackman (pictured centre at Sydney Harbour Bridge on June 25, 2023) was standing in the fan zone known as the Cloud at a nearby wharf in Auckland on Thursday when police swarmed the area
Peter Filopoulos, the head of marketing at Football Australia, said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the shooting.
‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families in these difficult times. As a peace-loving nation, we stand with New Zealand in solidarity,’ he said.
‘The situation seems to be contained now, thanks to NZ authorities. This incident is unrelated to the Women’s World Cup. Stay safe everyone.’
A spokesperson for the US women team, who are staying close to where the shooting took place, said in a statement that all players and staff were safe and accounted for.
‘Our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule,’ they said.
