Two male construction workers aged in their forties have been confirmed as the pair killed in yesterday's Auckland CBD shooting. Video / NZ Herald
An eye witness to the killing of two men in Auckland has recounted the five minutes of madness that unfolded at One Queen Street and the chilling words gunman Matu Reid yelled during his deadly rampage.
“I can remember him yelling ‘So what you going to do to me now ... what can you do’,” the worker, who had only been working at that construction site for less than a month, told the Herald.
The man, who the Herald has agreed not to identify, arrived on site at 7am - his normal time - and made his way to the third level, where a number of subcontractors gather each morning to plan their day’s work schedules as well as meet for breaks.
He and a colleague were inside a room when they heard gunshots. The worker said he heard the gunman fire two shots - which he believes killed one man - reloaded and chased after another.
Armed police at the scene in downtown Auckland after a shooting incident which has left multiple people dead. Photo / Jason Oxenham
“I couldn’t see him shoot because he [Reid] was in my blindspot but I saw a person fall down and others were running so we were just hiding in the room,” the worker said.
“I was looking outside when he shot and I couldn’t see him but knew he had shot two people straight away.
" I called the police, but I got scared when he [Reid] came in the room. You just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Reid entered the room where the worker and a colleague were hiding.
“He [Reid] came to the room to check if anyone was in there but it was dark and he couldn’t see inside properly. Coming from outside you can’t see,” he said.
“I called police and I think within five minutes the police had arrived on site and about 15 minutes later came and took us out.”
The gunman fired off more random shots which may have wounded more and then ran upstairs.
Auckland CBD gunman Matu Reid died in a shoot-out with police after killing two construction workers at the One Queen Street site.
“After that, I was with the police and didn’t hear anything else,” he said.
“I couldn’t process what actually happened but now I am thinking what actually could have happened.
“I couldn’t think. All I could think of was to protect myself and call the cops.
“I was scared. I couldn’t even see his face but I see him trying to run for the other person.”
He remembers Reid was wearing a grey hoodie and a grey cap and carrying the shotgun.
“When he came in the room I was looking at the gun like I was blank, and thinking don’t randomly shoot in this room.
“He had already had six shots and the next would have been his seventh from his pump shotgun.
“I don’t know but the two people he shot was like he wanted to kill those two people. I feel like he was too angry because he was yelling out to people because when he came to my room he left slow and he could have shot randomly if he was looking for someone.
“The way he was yelling was like he came with a purpose. It all happened within five minutes.
“He said a lot of things but remember him yelling: ‘So what you going to do to me now ... what can you do?’ ”
The worker, who has been offered counselling, said watching TV brought back memories from Thursday but he believed he would be OK.
“I have been offered counselling but we will see.”
Joseph Los’e joined NZME in 2022 as Kaupapa Māori Editor. Los’e was a chief reporter, news director at the Sunday News newspaper covering crime, justice and sport. He was also editor of the NZ Truth and prior to joining NZME worked for 12 years for Te Whānau o Waipareira.
