The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NewZealandtrying to recover from tragedy
Authorities say 48 people are being treated for injuries; two of them are in critical condition.
New Zealand grappled with grief and horror on Saturday, a day after 50 people were shot to death at two mosques in the city of Christchurch.
The terrorist attack appeared to have been carried out by a white nationalist who posted a racist manifesto online and streamed live video of the killings on Facebook.
A 28-year-old man from Australia was charged with murder and appeared Saturday morning in a Christchurch courtroom. Court papers identified him as Brenton Harrison Tarrant.
New Zealand police said he would face additional charges. A second man, 18, was charged with “intent to excite hostility or ill-will.”
Minutes before the shooting began on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was emailed a copy of the manifesto purported to be from the gunman, her office said. Many news outlets and lawmakers also received the email.
Ardern promised that New Zealand’s “gun laws will change” and that her Cabinet would discuss options for how, though she did not offer specifics. The gunman had five firearms, including two semi-automatic weapons, she said.
The victims
New Zealand’s police commissioner, Mike Bush, provided new details of the attack on Friday night, saying that 41 people had been killed at Al Noor mosque, in the center of the city, and seven at Linwood mosque, about 3 miles away. Another victim died at Christchurch Hospital, he said.
David Meates, chief executive of the Canterbury District Health Board, said that 48 people, including young children, were being treated for injuries at the hospital.
Bush said on Saturday morning that two of them were in critical condition.
Police said on Friday that three men and one woman had been taken into custody, but Bush lowered the total number to three on Saturday morning, indicating that someone had been released.
Suspect in court
In a Christchurch courtroom that was closed to the public for security reasons, police officers in bulletproof vests brought in Tarrant, who has been charged with one count of murder in connection with the massacre. Police said he would face additional charges.
Tarrant, 28, short with thinning brown hair, handcuffed and wearing white prison clothing, looked around the courtroom but said nothing as District Court Judge Paul Kellar ordered him held for a further hearing on April 5.
Regional officials have said that Tarrant is an Australian citizen. Court papers listed his New Zealand address as Dunedin City, which is about 280 miles south of Christchurch.
Richard Peters, his court-appointed lawyer, said Tarrant had indicated he might represent himself. Asked how Tarrant had reacted to what he is facing, Peters said, “He seemed to be quite aware of where he is and what he’s doing.”
The Manifesto
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was among dozens of lawmakers and media who were emailed a white nationalist manifesto purportedly from the gunman minutes before the shootings began on Friday, her office said.
Andrew Campbell, a spokesman for Ardern, said a generic email address for the prime minister was among about 70 to which the email was sent. The “vast majority” of the recipients were news outlets, and others were lawmakers, he said on Saturday.
Live on Facebook
A 17-minute video that was streamed live on Facebook shows part of the attack.
The clip, which appeared to have been taken from a helmet camera worn by the gunman, begins behind the wheel of a car. A man, whose face can occasionally be seen in the rearview mirror, drives through the streets of Christchurch before pulling up in front of Al Noor mosque, beside the sprawling Hagley Park.
He approaches the mosque on foot, his weapon visible, and begins shooting at people at the entrance. What follows is nearly two harrowing minutes of his firing on worshippers.
At one point, the gunman exits the mosque and fires in both directions down the sidewalk before returning to his car for another gun — which, like the others, was inscribed with numbers, symbols or messages. When he re-enters the mosque, he shoots several bodies at close range.
Suspect’s hometown
The residents of Grafton, Australia, expressed shock, disgust and horror Saturday over reports that a man who had lived there stood accused of carrying out the massacre in Christchurch.
“The town has gone into silence,” said Ola Williamson, the owner of a restaurant in Grafton. “I hope we don’t get tarred with the same brush.”
A woman who answered the door of a home where Tarrant is believed to have grown up declined to comment. Neighbors on the street who remembered the family said they had moved away about eight years ago.
The suspect’s former classmates at Grafton High School remembered him as a disruptive and cocky student who seemed normal, if at times nasty.
“He was sort of like your class clown,” said Kara Hickson, 28, who graduated in the same year as Tarrant. “Always trying to make people laugh and always being silly.”