New Zealand gunman was on home detention for domestic violence during killings

The gunman who shot two people dead and wounded 10 more at a construction site in New Zealand was serving a home detention sentence for domestic violence charges, local reports say.

The 24-year-old opened fire at a building in downtown Auckland on Thursday, before later being found dead in a lift.

The incident drew worldwide attention, occurring just hours before the Women's World Cup kicked off later that evening, and near the hotel where Norway's players were staying before their opening match against host, New Zealand.

Police have confirmed the gunman used to work at the construction site, though a motive for the shooting - in which 10 people were also injured - remains unclear.

At the time of the incident, the man was serving a sentence of five months’ home detention for domestic violence charges, according to public broadcaster TVNZ.

He had approval to travel from the property he was serving home detention at in South Auckland to the building site, as his sentence was monitored via an ankle bracelet monitor.

Stuff.co.nz reported the gunman had been serving the sentence over a 2021 incident when he made verbal threats against his partner, kicked her in the stomach, and put his hands around her throat for 10 seconds, leading to a strangulation charge.

He then went on to repeatedly slap and punch the woman, pushing the handle of a pair of scissors into her torso and swinging a wine bottle at her, which missed.

When the woman left to get police, he burned items in her room while she was gone, leading to a wilful damage charge.

Police are yet to formally identify the shooter.

New Zealand's prime minister Chris Hipkins told a press conference the gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun as he moved to the upper levels of the building: "There was no political or ideological motive for the shooting."

He said he understood the two people killed were civilians, not police, and added: "This appears to be the actions of one individual."

A minute of silence was observed before the start of New Zealand's match against Norway in Auckland.

“Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland," Mr Hipkins said. "The government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned."

“I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat,” he added. "This appears to be the action of one individual.”

New Zealand's Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the man moved through the building, firing at people there.

It wasn't immediately clear if police had shot the gunman or he had killed himself, but he did not have a gun license and so shouldn't have been in possession of a firearm.

Coster said that while alarming, the incident was isolated and didn't pose a national security risk.

"What has unfolded is understandably alarming and we are reassuring the public that this incident has been contained and is an isolated incident," the police commissioner added.

Earlier, members of the public were told by authorities to seek shelter and avoid the area, and all ferry services were suspended until further notice.

A police officer was photographed walking to an ambulance, assisted by his colleagues, with what appeared to be blood on his uniform.

How common are shootings in New Zealand?

Active shooting incidents in New Zealand are rare.

The country banned most semi-automatic weapons in 2019, weeks after a man killed 51 people at two mosques in the South Island city of Christchurch during the nation's worst mass shooting.

A subsequent buyback scheme led to firearm owners hand over more than 50,000 banned weapons to police.

Coster said the shotgun used in Thursday's shooting was not on the list of banned weapons.

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