By Canadian Press

Women’s World Cup security heightened ahead of opening match following deadly shooting in Auckland

Jul 19, 2023 | 6:22 PM

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Security will be heightened ahead of Thursday night’s opening Women’s World Cup game after a gunman killed two people at a downtown construction site in Auckland, roughly 12 hours ahead of co-host New Zealand’s match against Norway.

Norway’s team hotel was located within a short distance of the shooting, which occurred in the tourist area of the city near the harbor ferry terminal. Norway captain Maren Mjelde said teammates were awakened by a helicopter hovering outside the hotel.

“We felt safe the whole time,” Mjelde said in a statement. “FIFA has a good security system at the hotel, and we have our own security officer in the squad. Everyone seems calm and we are preparing as normal for the game tonight.”

Officials from Eden Park, where the game was scheduled to be played following an opening ceremony for the tournament, encouraged ticket holders to arrive to the stadium early.

“There will be an increased security presence within the precinct and across the venue. Additional traffic management measures are in place,” Eden Park said.

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The shooting happened early Thursday morning at the start of rush hour in New Zealand’s largest city. The gunman was armed with a pump-action shotgun, said New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. He added police arrived 1 minute after the first emergency call and had run straight into harm’s way to save the lives of others.

The gunman was found dead in an elevator, said Acting Police Superintendent Sunny Patel.

In addition to the three dead, at least six others were injured, officials said.

“New Zealand Football are shocked by the incident in Auckland CBD this morning,” the team said in a statement. “We can confirm that all of the Football Ferns team and staff are safe.”

Although Hipkins said his attendance of the opening match was now “under review” he said the tournament would go on as planned.

“Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland,” Hipkins said. “The government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned. I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the action of one individual.”

Tourism New Zealand canceled a welcome party, which was scheduled to be held Thursday afternoon at a location within the cordoned off area that included many hotels in which participating teams are being housed.

The United States women’s team hotel is also located in the vicinity of the shooting and the team said in a statement it was “saddened by the inexcusable loss of life to gun violence, and our thoughts are with the people of Auckland/Tamaki Makaurau and Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The month-long, 32-team tournament is being co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, where the final will be staged on Aug. 20. There are strict gun laws in both countries, and fatal shootings are rare.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families in these difficult times. As a peace-loving nation, we stand with New Zealand in solidarity,” Football Australia’s head of marketing and communications Peter Filopoulos said. “The situation seems to be contained now, thanks to NZ authorities. This incident is unrelated to the Women’s World Cup. Stay safe everyone.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve McMorran contributed from Wellington, New Zealand.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press