AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The World Cup will begin as scheduled here Thursday night despite a shooting earlier in the day that left at least two people dead and six others injured steps from FIFA’s Fan Festival.
The male shooter is dead, and police have determined there’s no threat to national security, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said during a news conference in the capital of Wellington. Hipkins was planning to go to Auckland later in the day.
“Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland. The tournament will proceed as planned. I want to reiterate there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the actions of one individual,” Hipkins said.
“The police have neutralized the threat and are not seeking anybody else. New Zealand’s safety, and the safety of our visitors, is our first priority.”
Eight teams, including the U.S. women, are based in Auckland for the group stage and most are staying at hotels close to where the shooting occurred. U.S. Soccer said its 23 players and team staff were “accounted for and safe,” and the federation expressed condolences for the shooting victims.
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“We are saddened by the inexcusable loss of life to gun violence, and our thoughts are with the people of” Auckland and New Zealand, U.S. Soccer said in a statement on Twitter.
New Zealand sports minister Grant Robertson said the other teams also were OK. That included one staying at a hotel just around the corner from the shooting.
“As the cordon moves in, they’ll go about their normal business,” Robertson said.
It’s not clear if the Fan Fest, which was scheduled to open at noon ahead of New Zealand’s game against Norway, would still be held Thursday. It’s located at The Cloud, which is on the waterfront a few hundred feet from where the shooting happened. The area is still closed off to traffic and pedestrians, and Hipkins and Robertson said they weren’t sure when it would re-open.
FIFA did not immediately return a message from USA TODAY Sports.
“Obviously that’s up to the police as they reduce the cordon,” Robertson said.
Police received a report of shots fired at 7:23 a.m., Hipkins said, and officers were on the scene 11 minutes later. The gunman had a pump-action shotgun, and fired it as he made his way through the building, Hipkins said. When he got to the upper levels of the building, he barricaded himself in an elevator shaft.
“Further shots were fired from the male and he was located deceased a short time later,” New Zealand police said.
Hipkins said he had no details on the shooter, but that police have determined there was no ideological or political motivation to the shooting. Hipkins could not say whether those shot were civilians or police.
Police announced the incident had been “contained” about two hours later, though the area remained blocked off and sirens could be heard on nearby streets. About four hours after the shooting, some ferries had resumed operations.
This is a developing story.