Facing terror: ‘He was going to kill them’

Ex-paramedic confronted attacker then treated victims

Ross Tomlinson watched the New Lynn terrorist take his last breath with a dozen bullets in his chest and desperately ran to the supermarket aisles to grab scissors and nappies to treat the wounded.

The ex-paramedic of 10 years had seconds earlier screamed abuse at the Isis-inspired attacker, Ahamed Aathil Mohamed Samsudeen, in an attempt to divert his attention from other shoppers. He’d grabbed a metal bollard from the shelves to ward off Samsudeen who had been manically “slashing at the air” yelling Allah Akbar and “would have stabbed me or killed me, if the police arrived any later”.

Undercover police had been tailing Samsudeen, a 34-year-old known security threat from Sri Lanka who was under 24/7 surveillance. They heard the commotion from the supermarket entrance, arrived seconds later.

“He ran at them with the knife raised. He was going to kill them,” Tomlinson said of the Friday attack at Countdown LynnMall.

“They shot around nine to 12 shots. He was two feet away from the police when they fired and around six to 10 feet away from me just before they entered the scene. He died quickly, gasping for breath, he passed away within 60 seconds of hitting the ground. All rounds seem to hit him in the central chest and abdomen. No first aid treatment would have helped him.”

As Samsudeen lay on the ground, Tomlinson turned his attention to those injured in the attack.

“I grabbed scissors to cut the clothes off the patients, so I could assess their injuries, and nappies to stem the bleeding, and ran to help the two women he stabbed,” the 33-yearold said.

“I called the ambulance communication centre directly at 2.41pm and updated the clinical desk of the patient conditions, both status 1 and critical, requesting advanced life support units and advising them the offender was down and it was safe to enter the scene.”

What Tomlinson encountered were two victims lying near each other who he believes were among the three critically injured — two of whom last night remained in a critical but stable condition in Auckland City Hospital.

“The younger of the two patients had severe neck/throat, abdomen and shoulder wounds, bleeding heavily,” Tomlinson said. “The police had retrieved their medical kits from the squad car and had some medicine which is called quick clot. This causes the blood to clot in a wound and stop the bleeding. I used this on the gaping neck wound, then padded the wound with a nappy.

“A brave bystander was kneeling holding the nappy applying pressure to the wound and speaking reassuring words to her. He had his young children in the car but stayed and showed kindness and courage.”

Tomlinson said the woman — who was likely the victim identified by police as being in her 20s — had a significant gut wound but was “very brave and was asking how the other lady was”.

Four women were among the victims, aged 29, 43, 60 and 66, and three men, aged 53, 57 and 77.

Tomlinson also rushed to treat an older woman he uncovered was on blood thinning medication. He said she was bleeding heavily and it was incredible she survived. “She had serious stab wounds to her neck/base of her skull, chest and thoracic back area,” he said. “She was terrified and short of breath — possibly with a punctured lung. The police and I dressed the wounds as best we could. She also asked about the condition of the other lady. There was also a bystander holding her hand and comforting her too.”

When the St John paramedics arrived they administered the patients a medicine called TXA used to stop further bleeding in severe trauma.

Tomlinson had nothing but praise for the police strategic tactical team officers who fired the fatal shots at the terrorist and assisted him in treating the two women.

“The police and two bystanders which helped me with the first aid were amazing. They were exposed to horrific trauma themselves and still stayed to help those in need. Without any medical training, followed my direction on how to help and did so in such a brave and selfless way. The police were outstanding, calm and professional.”

Reflecting yesterday on the ordeal, Tomlinson said that despite his training, the attack was a “terrifying experience”.

But he said when he heard screaming he knew he had to act. “I ran toward the screams, to help.”

The Titirangi resident had worked as a St John paramedic in West Auckland from2007-2017. “You keep asking yourself could I have done more?” Tomlinson said.

Police Commissioner Andrew Costerhas paid tribute to a bystander with medical experience who assisted in treatment of the wounded.

He died quickly, gasping for breath, he passed away within 60 seconds of hitting the ground.

Ross Tomlinson