At least two people were killed and five others injured after a gunman stormed a building under construction in Auckland, New Zealand, early Thursday, hours before the first soccer match of the Women’s World Cup was scheduled to begin in the city.
The gunman was later killed, the police said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon. They also said that a police officer was among those injured; he was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and his condition had stabilized.
The authorities have not identified the gunman, but the police said he was believed to have been 24 years old and had worked at the construction site where the shooting occurred.
The police commissioner, Andrew Coster, said that the gunman’s motive was believed to have been “connected to his work at the site.” He was under a home detention order but had permission to be at the construction site. He was known to police because he had a history of domestic violence, Mr. Coster said, adding that there had also been “some indications of mental health history.”
He did not possess a firearms license for the shotgun he used, the authorities said.
The New Zealand Herald also reported that he appeared before a local court in March on charges including assaulting a woman and injuring with intent to injure,…
