51 Dead After New Zealand Mosque Shooting

By: AJ Melillo & Stephen Rumbolo

Fifty-one people were killed and another 20 injured in New Zealand after two mosque shootings on Friday, March 15th.

According to reports, the authorities responded to the scene of the mass shooting at 1:40 pm NZDT at Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch. Shortly after Linwood Masjid, just a short distance away, was also struck.

The New Zealand police announced that 42 were killed in the first shooting, and seven were slain in the second shooting. Another death was due to injuries while the victim was en route to the hospital, and the final two died from injuries while at the hospital. 

The shooter was chased out of the second mosque when a member began to fire back at the terrorist.

The authorities also found two explosive devices in nearby vehicles, both have been defused.

The shooter was a self-proclaimed “eco-fascist” and “white supremacist.” He proclaimed his reasoning for the terrorist attacks in a manifesto that was published on Twitter and 8chan. In the manifesto, he claimed that he was trying to start a “race war” and a divide in the United States. He also recorded the shooting from a GoPro on Facebook Live.

The attacker was an Australian citizen and has been brought into custody by New Zealand police.

New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said the attack was “an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence” and called Friday “New Zealand’s darkest day.”

Ardern has since promised the people of New Zealand that there will be gun reform proposals within the next ten days as a result of the tragic massacre.

President Donald Trump was among those mentioned in the shooter’s manifesto offered his condolences to the victims of the shooting on Friday.

“My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques,” Trump said on Twitter. “49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!”

This shooting was the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, and the first one since the Raurimu Massacre in 1997.