‘He never showed extremist tendencies’
Tracey Gray, the owner of Big River Gym in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia said the alleged shooter worked at the gym about five or six years ago.
‘‘He started coming to my facility as a boy that was finishing school and showed a lot of dedication to his own training. Then he went and did his personal training qualifications.’’
Gray described him as ‘‘dedicated to his own training’’ but said she did not know him outside of work.
‘‘He left here to go travelling and as far as I knew he was travelling to sort of see as much of the world as possible.
‘‘He’s worked in the fitness industry where it’s about helping people. It’s an inclusive industry, not an exclusive industry.
‘‘We take all shapes and sizes, all different people . . . so I think something’s really happened in this person’s travels . . . He never showed any extremist tendencies in conversations I had with him.’’
Gray understood Tarrant was from Grafton, and his mother possibly still lives there. She believes Tarrant’s father died of an asbestosrelated illness and worked for the James Hardie group.
‘‘I’m almost trying to convince myself no [that it’s not him] – I don’t want to feel like I have any connections with someone who’s capable of this . . . I have family in Christchurch and I can’t get hold of them.’’