AUCKLAND (Sachin) - A police officer was killed while another injured after two were shot at by a man during a routine traffic stop on Reynella Dr, in Massey Friday morning.
A member of public was also injured, after being hit by the suspects' car who fled from the spot. The incident took place at around 10: 30 am. Two persons were present in the car, one of them opened fire from a weapon being described as “long-barrelled firearm”. A hunt for the suspects has been launched.
The deceased officer was shot in the abdomen while injured cop suffered leg injury. Both were taken to hospital where one succumbed to injury. The officer is first to have been killed in the line of duty in New Zealand since 2009.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said the officer’s death was “devastating news.”
Terming the killing "absolutely devastating", Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said in a press conference, "This is a shocking situation, this is the worst news police and their families can receive".
“The incident reflects the risk our officers face on duty very day," Coster said. The police didn't disclose the identity of killed cop. As many as eight schools in the immediate area have been asked to lockdown as a precautionary measure.
Constable Len Snee was killed and two other officers were injured during a 51-hour siege at a house in Napier in 2009. The gunman, Jan Molenaar, was later found dead inside the house.