Christchurch shooting victims: ‘I saw dead people everywhere’
Eye witnesses have described scenes of horror at a mass shooting at a mosque in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
Eye witnesses have described scenes of horror at a mass shooting at a mosque in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
One witness said one of the gunmen changed magazines seven times as mowed down people at prayer.
“When the shooting started people started rushing out, and the door was closed, and the guys came on them and started shooting them,” he said.
Another witness described seeing as many as 40 people injured.
Police have not yet described the scale of the shooting.
Witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black enter the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch at about 1.45pm (11.45am AEDT) and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running from the mosque in terror. Peneha, who has lived next door to the mosque for about five years, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semiautomatic weapon in Peneha’s driveway, and fled.
Peneha said he then went into the mosque to try and help.
“I saw dead people everywhere. There were three in the hallway, at the door leading into the mosque, and people inside the mosque,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable nutty. I don’t understand how anyone could do this to these people, to anyone. It’s ridiculous.”
One man who was inside the mosque, he said he prayed the shooter would run out of ammunition.
“I was thinking that he must run out of bullets. I was basically waiting for that and praying to God, oh God please let this guy run out of bullets.”
The witness said a man near to him had been killed. He said he had tried to leave and a man near him had told him to go back.
“When it stopped, the first time I went, one guy was sitting out just beside a wall, and he told me “no, no” and I went back again where I was. The next thing the guy came and shot this guy who told me not to get out. That was a sad moment and I know that guy and he shot him straight in the chest.”
He said he saw about 50 to 60 injured people and many dead.
The witness said the shooting went for 20 minutes.
“The mosque has segments. He came this side, he shoot this side, he went to another room, shoot there. There’s a ladies section, he went and shoot them. I just heard one of the ladies had died … I’m just hoping that is not right.
“My brother is there and I don’t know whether he’s safe or not. He came from Fiji.”
Ahmad Al-Mahmoud described the moment the gunman opened fire.
“They guy he was wearing like … army, you know. And he had … a big gun and lot of bullets. And he came through and he started shooting everyone in the mosque, you know everywhere.
“And they had to smash the door and the glass, and everyone tried to get out. We tried to get everyone to run away from that area, because we couldn’t open the door for everyone.
“So I ran away from the carpark, jumping from the back, you know, houses.”
Mr Al-Mahmoud said the shooter was wearing a helmet.
Asked how many shots he heard, Mr Al Mahmoud said more than 50, but described the gunman as having “ more than hundreds” of rounds.
Another witness described the scene inside the mosque to 1 News Now.
“I heard the bang sound of a gun … and the second one … I ran. Lots of people were sitting on the floor.
“The gun was front of the door, I ran behind the mosque.
“And I rang the police. The police come. I saw one gun on the floor. There was lots of people dying, injured.”
MORE TO COME
AP, staff reporters
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