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Checkpoint for Friday 15 March 2019
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Christchurch taxi driver offers free rides
9:56 PM.Manjinder Singh, taxi driver in Christchurch, says he hopes to help usher people out of the city centre and back to their families. A Sikh, Mr Singh says his religion is often targeted by extremists… Read more Audio
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Flowers for mosques around the country
9:53 PM.People are laying flowers outside mosques throughout the country, following the Christchurch terror attacks. Wendy and Andrew Johnson delivered flowers to the mosque near Hagley Park in Christchurch… Read more Video, Audio
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Concerns about violent white supremacists 'fell through cracks'
9:26 PM.Security Analyst Paul Buchanan says the terrorists slipped through the cracks "and it's a failure of intelligence." He says the failure is in the lack of priority given to white supremacists. "What… Read more Audio
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Death toll rises to 49 in Christchurch
9:05 PM.The death toll after the Christchurch shootings is now 49. Police Commissioner Mike Bush has described the terror attacks as an "unprecedented and abhorrent event." He says 41 people were killed at… Read more Video, Audio
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'I think the shock is still growing' - Sir Bob Parker
8:48 PM.Former Christchurch Mayor Sir Bob Parker says the feeling in Christchurch is eerily reminiscent of the Christchurch earthquakes, and describes seeing a white Toyota van with a single male occupant… Read more Audio
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'They don't know if their loved ones are dead or alive'
8:33 PM.Former president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand Javed Khan. He says a lot of people from his community are really distressed, and don't know if their loved ones are dead or… Read more Audio
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Controlled explosions at Auckland's Britomart
8:28 PM.RNZ Checkpoint's Alex Perrotet is at Britomart, in central Auckland, where there have been three controlled explosions this evening. Police say the explosions, of what appear to be bags filled with… Read more Audio
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Significant security presence at Christchurch Hospital - CEO
8:05 PM.The CEO of the Canterbury District Health Board, David Meates, speaks to RNZ Checkpoint's Lisa Owen about the situation at medical facilities across Christchurch. He says there is a significant… Read more Audio
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Police focus on Dunedin car
7:49 PM.There is a strong police and armed offenders squad presence on a suburban Dunedin street, RNZ reporter Tim Brown says. A vehicle of interest, in the suburb of Waverly, may be related to one of the… Read more Audio
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48 with gunshot wounds at Christchurch Hospital
7:47 PM.Health Correspondent Karen Brown says 48 patients are at Christchurch hospital with gunshot wound injuries ranging from critical to minor. Additional patients with gunshot injuries are at other… Read more Audio
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Forty dead in Christchurch terror attack - PM
7:25 PM.Forty people have died in a terror attack at two Christchurch mosques today, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. "This is unprecedented, unlike anything we've seen before". Ms Ardern says New Zealand… Read more Video, Audio
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Support for mosques around the country
7:20 PM.Mosques around the country have been advised to close after the mass shooting in Christchurch today. But people are expressing their support with flowers at mosques around New Zealand, with many… Read more Audio
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One gunman in custody is Australian citizen
7:15 PM.The Australian Prime Minister has described the attackers in Christchurch as "violent terrorists" who undertook a "right wing extremist attack" Scott Morrison says he has spoken to Prime Minister… Read more Audio
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‘A horrific day for NZ’ - Simon Bridges
6:57 PM."In due course there will be serious questions in a constructive way... it's too soon for that," says National leader Simon Bridges, from his Tauranga home. "This is a horrific day for New Zealand". Audio
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'The question is how did it happen?' Gerry Brownlee says
6:55 PM.MP for Ilam, Christchurch, Gerry Brownlee says we have to be "careful not to think this is the new norm", and the whole of New Zealand is going to be shocked by the mass shootings. 'The question is… Read more Audio
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Winston Peters: ‘The worst of the world' has visited NZ
6:52 PM.Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says "the worst of the world, for the first time, has visited our shores and we're never going to be the same again." Mr Peters says his heart is with the victims… Read more Audio
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Young woman describes running for her life
6:46 PM.An 18-year-old woman praying inside the Deans Avenue mosque in Christchurch when the shooting started, says she heard between 50 to 100 gunshots. Mulki Abdiwahab fled the mosque barefoot with her… Read more Audio
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Christchurch shooting fits ‘most definitions’ of terrorism
6:45 PM.Dr John Battersby from Massey University teaches intelligence and terrorism. He says New Zealand has been fortunate to avoid anything like this in the last 10 to 15 years. He says whether the shooting… Read more Audio
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Glass smashing, screaming, at Christchurch mosque shooting - witness
6:35 PM.Witnesses say the shooting at the Linwood Islamic Centre lasted for three or four minutes. Shoaib Gani was at the Linwood Islamic Centre when the shooting occurred. He told reporter Conan Young he… Read more Audio
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PM to on way to high-level Beehive crisis meeting
6:30 PM.RNZ political editor Jane Patterson says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is about to arrive back at the Beehive, where she's convened the Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security… Read more Video, Audio
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Police cordon off suspicious bag at Britomart, Auckland
6:25 PM.Police are attending an incident in Auckland's Britomart, where an unattended bag has been located. A cordon has been put up around the immediate area on Galway St as a precaution, reports Nita… Read more Audio
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Heavy police presence remains at Christchurch mosque
6:08 PM.Reporter Logan Church, who is near the Masjid Al Noor Mosque on Deans Ave in Christchurch, describes an "eerie quiet" at the police cordon, where there is still a heavy armed police presence. Video, Audio
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Christchurch PTSD sufferers may be retraumatised, psychologist
5:56 PM.Christchurch-based clinical psychologist, Scott Percy, who's worked with community members and emergency responders, who've suffered from post traumatic stress related to the Christchurch earthquakes… Read more Audio
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Christchurch mayor describes ‘devastating, unexpected shock’
5:55 PM."This has impacted the world because it is such a devastating, unexpected shock that a place like Christchurch and a country like New Zealand would have something like this occur. It has just been… Read more Audio
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Christchurch police ram car, arrest man - witness
5:45 PM.Earlier a car was rammed by police and a man was arrested in the suburb of Somerfield. Jendy Harper spoke to a woman who saw what happened on Strickland St where the car was rammed. Video, Audio
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Witnesses escape mosque via window
5:35 PM.An eyewitness speaks to reporter Logan Church in Christchurch, just minutes after the shooting this afternoon. He says some people jumped from the window, while others were stuck in the mosque with… Read more Video, Audio
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Four in custody, police
5:30 PM.Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police have four people in custody - three men and one woman - and there could be more offenders. He says there were "a number" of bombs on board vehicles used in… Read more Video, Audio
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Witness describes helping 5-year-old Christchurch shooting victim
5:28 PM.One of the first people on the scene of the mosque shooting near Hagley Park says he helped care for a five-year-old girl who had been shot, and was critically injured. Carl Pomare says he was driving… Read more Audio
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Hospital told to expect 50 casualties, source
5:18 PM.RNZ health correspondent Karen Brown says all Christchurch hospitals are on lockdown. Christchurch Hospital has been told to expect 50 casualties, a source says. Audio
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Witnesses describe seeing masked shooter at Linwood mosque.
5:16 PM.Conan Young is at a mosque in Linwood, Christchurch where one of the shootings occurred. One witness told him 13 people had been injured, another said maybe five or six were injured and two to three… Read more Audio
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Christchurch shootings: National security agencies at crisis meeting in Wellington
5:00 PM.RNZ political editor Jane Patterson says the Prime Minister is on a flight to Wellington, as national security agencies meet at police headquarters in Wellington. The Officials Committee for Domestic… Read more Audio
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Christchurch shooter ‘a very clear white supremacist’.
4:54 PM.Security analyst Paul Buchanan says he has seen the manifesto of the alleged Christchurch shooter. "He is a very clear white supremacist who has been planning this for two years". Audio
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‘He didn’t want anyone to stay alive.’
4:49 PM.An eyewitness was in the mosque at the time of the shooting. He said the attacker was very calm, but shooting many bullets a second. He said the shooter looked like he was enjoying himself. "He didn't… Read more Audio
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Christchurch shootings: ‘He opened fire everywhere.’
4:45 PM.Shooting witness Mohammad Jama describes a "short man" entering the mosque near Hagley Park, with a black automatic weapon wearing a helmet, glasses and was "military clothing." "He opened fire… Read more Audio
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Student protesters evacuated by police
4:40 PM.Climate change protester Anna Christensen, 14, speaks from an Labour MP's Duncan Webb's office in Christchurch central, where she has taken refuge with her mum and others. "We're a bit nervous, but we… Read more Audio
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Christchurch shooting witness: ‘There were lots of people dying and injured.’
4:40 PM.Eyewitness Mohammed Nazir describes hearing gunshots, running behind the mosque, and climbing over a wall to a neighbouring property, before calling police. He saw "There were lots of people dying and… Read more Video, Audio
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Christchurch shootings: Bullet wounds, abrasions and broken bones, says St John CEO
4:30 PM.St John CEO Peter Bradley says staff are dealing with "multiple deaths and casualties." Mr Bradley says it is "still very much a fluid and dangerous situation", staff have seen "shocking injuries" and… Read more Audio
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Shooting: Student protestors take refuge in Christchurch council building, Mayor
4:25 PM.Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel says students from a climate change rally have taken refuge inside the city council building, which is on lockdown. She says it's important that people remain calm… Read more Audio
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Linwood Ave mosque shooting witnesses: “they’re all pretty shaken up.”
4:20 PM.Christchurch reporter Conan Young has spoken to witnesses of the shootings at the Linwood Ave mosque. He says they're "all pretty shaken up." One witness says shooting began "right in the middle of… Read more Audio
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PM speaks to media "This is one of New Zealand’s darkest days"
4:12 PM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on has described the shootings as being "one of New Zealand's darkest days". Ms Ardern has confirmed multiple scenes are involved, and one person is in custody. The… Read more Video, Audio
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Active shooter incident in Christchurch
4:04 PM.Checkpoint is live in Christchurch where there has been multiple fatalities at two mosques. Reporter Logan Church has the latest. Video, Audio