New Zealand launches probe into police response to 2019 Christchurch massacre
Oct. 24 (UPI) -- New Zealand authorities launched an investigation Tuesday into whether there was an adequate police response to the 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch that left 51 people dead.
The inquiry, which comes more than four years after a gunman opened fire on Muslim worshippers at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center, is being led by Christchurch Coroner Brigitte Windley.
As part of the probe, six weeks of public hearings are planned in an effort to resolve nearly a dozen key concerns that have emerged among Christchurch's Muslim community which was still reeling and struggling to make sense of the crime.
Windley has so far been handed nearly 3,000 documents, 4,750 images, 2,720 audio files and 80 hours of video related to the attack, March 15, 2019.
The hearings will aim to second-guess the speed of the emergency response to the attack and whether more lives could have been saved if police, medical technicians and triage units had reached the scene sooner.
Other aspects of the investigation will look into the coordination of emergency services during the attacks, as well as the processes that Christchurch Hospital utilized during its response.
The inquest will seek to ascertain whether Tarrant had assistance from any terrorist organizations or anyone else, as well as the steps authorities took to apprehend him.
The investigation will also examine whether an emergency exit failed to open inside Al Noor Mosque when Tarrant sprayed the main prayer room with high-powered rifles.
The investigation will also attempt to retrace the final steps of all the victims while determining the time of death for each.
Voices among the city's leaders said they believed the inquest would help bring closure and healing to those who lost loved ones in the worst mass shooting in the nation's history.
In 2020, Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, as well as 40 counts of attempted murder and a terrorism charge, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole.
