Auckland gunman who killed 2 told ex: 'You don't know what I'm capable of'
A gunman who killed two people after storming into a construction site in Auckland had a history of family violence and was on home detention, police said today.
Matu Tangi Matua Reid was named locally as the 24-year-old gunman who opened fire near the Women's World Cup team hotel as New Zealand prepares to host the tournament.
In court documents, it emerged that Matu Reid's sentence came after he strangled a woman, leaving her with a bone broken in her neck.
On March 28, 2021 he was was handed a five-month sentence for an assault the previous year. He confessed to impeding breathing, injuring with intent to injure, wilful damage and male assaults female.
Judge Stephen Bonnar KC considered a probation assessment in his sentencing, which said Reid was at a low reoffending risk and recommended home detention instead.
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Armed New Zealand police officers stand outside a hotel housing a team from the FIFA Women's World Cup (AP)But just over a year later, the gunman wielded a pump-action shotgun and stormed the site at around 7.20am local time this morning, with police arriving at the scene within minutes.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the gunman made his way up the lift shaft firing bullets as terrified workers took refuge where they could in the building. He was found dead after a police shootout.
The gunman had previously worked at the building site, he added, and the motivation for the shooting appeared connected to his work there.
Police stand guard at a cordoned off area near the site of a shooting (HOW HWEE YOUNG/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)He had a history of family violence and was serving a sentence of home detention but had an exemption to work at the lower Queen Street site, Mr Coster said.
The offence he was detained for happened on September 16, 2021 while boarding at a property on New Zealand's North Shore.
He was living with the parents of the victim - who he was in an intimate relationship with.
At around midnight, he reacted violently to something the woman said, presiding Judge Bonnar said in his sentencing notes.
The couple rowed before he turned physically violent and shoved her from the chair she was sitting on.
A police officer looks on the site of a shooting in central Auckland (AFP via Getty Images)As she tried to speak to him, he threw an object at her, smashing into her right eye.
He then threatened he would "take out" the victim and her family before booting her in the stomach, standing over her and grabbing her around the throat for 10 seconds or so leaving her unable to draw air.
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Reid then let go but continued his vile assault, verbally abusing her and slapping and punching her, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Chillingly, he added: "You don't know what I'm capable of".
Concluding the vicious episode, he grabbed a pair of scissors and dug them into her side before swinging at her with a bottle of wine.
A group of construction workers close to the scene (Getty Images)He said: “I’ve had enough, it’s time, I’m going to take you all”, before storming out of the room.
In the latest shooting, at least six people have been injured, including a police officer who is described to be in a critical condition. The figure could rise today as victims make themselves known to police.
"The offender fired at police, injuring an officer," Mr Coster said. "Shots were exchanged and the offender was later found deceased."
He said it was not yet clear if police had shot the gunman or he had killed himself. He said the gunman did not have a gun licence and so should not have been in possession of a weapon.
Reid had previously been part of the Turn Your Life Around Youth Development Trust, which is an organisation aimed at reducing the number of young offenders.
An injured cop is escorted away by his colleagues (1News)Speaking about the shooting, acting Superintendent Sunny Patel said in a statement earlier today: “The offender has moved through the building site and continued to discharge his firearm.
"Upon reaching the upper levels of the building, the male has contained himself within the elevator shaft and our staff have attempted to engage with him.
“Further shots were fired from the male and he was located deceased a short time later.”
Patel said the shooting was not being treated as a national security risk.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the tournament would go ahead as scheduled after the shooting near hotels where Team Norway and others had been staying.
He said: "Clearly with the Fifa World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland.
"The government has spoken to Fifa organisers 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."
Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni confirmed the World Cup would still go ahead as planned.
She expressed her condolences to the victims' families and said: “We can only imagine what they are going through at the moment. We share in the sadness and like them, we will be awaiting more updates from the investigation.”
She also stressed that police had made it clear the 24-year-old at the centre of it was on home detention but had an exemption to attend work.
She added: "And, despite some family harm history, there was nothing to suggest something of this nature would happen. They have also been clear that they had done searches of the house and never come across any firearms. So that is the information we have.”
Police interview construction workers in the central business district (AP)“Clearly he didn’t have a firearms license, but they searched, and they didn’t come across any firearms.”
The incident comes as soccer teams and fans gathered in New Zealand for the Fifa Women's World Cup.
The opening match is scheduled for Thursday between New Zealand and Norway. Mr Hipkins said he was reviewing whether he would attend the match as planned.
The ban does not include all semi-automatic weapons. Mr Coster said the gunman's shotgun is not on the list of banned weapons.
Mr Coster said: "I want to acknowledge that this has been a shocking and traumatic event for those people who came to work and found themselves in the middle of an armed emergency.
"Thankfully, many people were able to escape the building, but I know for those who hid or remained trapped, this was a terrifying experience."
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