Patterson’s sister speaks of last call
Quinn Patterson rang his sister to say ‘‘goodbye’’ after shooting two women dead outside his house.
Sister Gloria revealed he left a voicemail saying he was ‘‘going to do something to himself’’ after gunning down Wendy Campbell and her daughter, Natanya, in rural Northland on Wednesday.
Patterson then died as his house went up in flames following a standoff with police.
Patterson’s sister confirmed that her brother was not in a fit mental state before Wednesday’s events unfolded.
‘‘I knew that he wasn’t in a good place but I didn’t know that he would do what he did - I didn’t know what would happen,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s just too much, you can only stretch yourself so far and there is no time for me to even grieve.’’ Patterson also had three brothers. He did not hold a gun licence but was in possession of firearms, police have confirmed.
The revelation he owned an extensive arsenal has come as a surprise to close friend Leah Cameron but it did point to his ‘‘doomsday ideologies’’.
‘‘He did talk a little about fatalistic, end-of-the-world theories, so maybe that’s why he had a gun,’’ Cameron said.
Patterson had amassed a vast amount of guns, including rifles, hand guns, a shot gun, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and even grenades - and had fortified his home in paranoia, Newshub has reported.
Since Wednesday, neighbours have recalled hearing shots being fired from Patterson’s property on a regular basis before the tragedy.
Cameron said Patterson was in the middle of a depressive episode, with the shooter himself saying, ‘‘I don’t want to be here ... I’m done with it’’.
Cameron said Patterson would often confide in her and the pair were texting a week before the shooting.
Seeing obvious red flags, Cameron urged Patterson to seek help and find a solution to which he replied: ‘‘What can I do? This world is no place for me.’’
The pair had known each other for about seven years.
‘‘He had a mental health issue and his anxiety levels becoming worse ... he was really starting to struggle.’’
Despite this, Cameron said Patterson had good self awareness of his mental state. ‘‘He would try different diets and nutrition, he has a good relationship with his GP. ‘‘But I think there is no one quick fix for a depressive mental health.
‘‘It’s a journey and requires a lot of commitment to get well and I know that he did try.’’
She said Patterson was very misunderstood, and his assertiveness could often come across as confrontational and brash.
She said his mother, Burma, and father, Dale, had both passed away. He had three brothers and one sister. He also had a wife and two sons in their late 20s and 30s.
‘‘There is a crisis in New Zealand in mental health, and we need to do something about it otherwise there might be another Quinn incident,’’ Cameron added.
‘‘There is a lot of people out there suffering with depression.
‘‘And, look what happens if they don’t get the care and help they need, they lose the plot and lash out,’’ Cameron said.