The two victims who died in the Auckland CBD shooting on Thursday morning were workers in their 40s, police confirm.
The shooting in Auckland CBD on Thursday left three people dead, including the shooter. At least 10 people are injured, including a police officer who is in critical condition.
The gunman can be named as 24-year-old Matu Tangi Matua Reid who was sentenced in March on domestic violence-related charges.
The shooter moved through a construction site, starting on the third floor, firing a pump-action shotgun at workers.
It is understood the gunman's motive was to do with his employment at the site.
On Friday morning police confirmed that the two victims worked alongside the gunman, who also died during the incident, Relieving Auckland District Commander Sunny Patel said.
One police officer is still in hospital, but in a stable condition, while another is recovering at home from their injuries, he said.
"Three other people injured in the incident remain in hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and two people have been discharged from hospital."
Patel said a large investigation team is working to provide answers to what occurred on Thursday morning, particularly for the families of the two men who lost their lives.
"We encourage anyone impacted to reach out to Victim Support in the first instance if you need assistance."
Speaking on NewstalkZB, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the AOS were training in downtown Auckland as the incident started.
"That certainly assisted us."
The police staff who entered the building first come from many different parts of the force, Coster said.
"[They were] walking towards the danger and making it safe as quickly as they could."
Frontline officers did an outstanding job on Thursday, he said.
Coster's latest update on those injured was that everyone was stable, although the police officer who was shot has "quite a road to recovery".
The officer will no doubt need surgery, he said.
Police Association president Chris Cahill told Stuff this incident was as "dangerous as they come", with officers going into a situation lacking information and working off differing accounts from a number of sources.
Cahill said officers had to confront the gunman, despite limited information and a situation with lots of high-vis vests – not knowing who exactly the offender or victims are.
While it was a worry, Cahill said he was incredibly proud of the professionalism.
"We are certainly lucky we haven't lost a police officer."
The president also said this incident emphasised the need for the gun registry and the tighter firearms laws, but said the registration is too new to have had an effect.
At about 7.20am on Thursday, the first gunshot rang out at One Queen Street.
The first of many calls to police began at 7.22am, two minutes after the first shots were fired, with panicked callers telling them a gunman, possibly two, had opened fire on level 3 of the building.
By 7.30am, a police helicopter was circling and armed police had begun the hunt for the shooter inside the building.
Spymaster 'accidentally' shoots dead president
One construction worker who'd been inside the building at the time, said his team had been coming down, trying to get out, but was stopped at level 15 and told to hide as Reid was on his way up.
The worker didn't see the shooter, but could hear screaming. Others told of gunshots echoing through the building.
While this unfolded, workers were also trapped on the roof in the chilly morning air, waiting for news from below.
By 8am, 40 minutes after Reid first pulled the trigger, police had cornered him to the upper levels of the building, where he'd barricaded himself in a lift shaft.
Police tried to negotiate with him, but there would be no surrender. He fired at police, hitting and injuring an officer.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
