The gunman was dead and the incident had been contained, Hipkins said.
“The assessment from officials is that there is no national security risk,” he said, noting that there didn’t appear to be any political or ideological motivation to the shooting.
The World Cup will begin Thursday night with a game between New Zealand and Norway, starting at 7 p.m. local time.
The American team, which is staying at a hotel near the construction site where the shooting took place, was unaffected and game preparations were proceeding as planned.
Regarding the incident in downtown Auckland, all of our USWNT players and staff are accounted for and safe. Our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule. https://t.co/m1ziO6j8c5
— U.S. Soccer Comms (@ussoccer_comms) July 19, 2023
“Regarding the incident in downtown Auckland, all of our USWNT players and staff are accounted for and safe,” U.S. Soccer wrote on Twitter. “Our security team is in communication with local authorities and we are proceeding with our daily schedule.”
The Norwegian team, which will play New Zealand in the first game of the tournament Thursday night, was also safe, local news site Stuff reported.
Norway captain Maren Mjelde said the team heard the police arrive on the scene but did not know what was going on until they saw the news on New Zealand media websites.
The gunman entered the construction site on lower Queen Street, near a main train station and ferry terminal, as well as hotels and a popular mall. He fired shots as he made his way up the building, police said.
“This has been a very grim morning for us,” Hipkins said. “There is no ongoing risk here.”
Rachel Pannett
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