'He was polite': portrait of shooting suspect emerges as New Zealand asks what it could have done

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'He was polite': portrait of shooting suspect emerges as New Zealand asks what it could have done

By Emily Steel

Dunedin: The gun enthusiast with light brown hair and an Australian accent did not stand out among the 100 or so members of the Bruce Rifle Club, who practised shooting at a range in a forest in southern New Zealand.

He favoured a bolt-action hunting rifle and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and would participate in shooting competitions. No one saw any warning signs.

Police gather flowers left for the victims and hang them on the fence of the mosque on Tuesday.

Police gather flowers left for the victims and hang them on the fence of the mosque on Tuesday. Credit: Jason South

"He was polite," said Scott Williams, the club's vice president. "He would help put things away. He would help set up. He worked like a Trojan."

But now New Zealand officials are wondering if anyone might have missed something about Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the 28-year-old Australian suspect in the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday that left at least 50 people dead.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ordered an inquiry into whether government agencies could have prevented the attack.

She also said her Cabinet had agreed "in principle" to an overhaul of the country's gun laws as police investigations continue across both New Zealand and Australia. More than half a dozen police officers searched Tarrant's residence near the centre of Dunedin, south of Christchurch.

Tarrant's blue-grey house had air-conditioning units, wide, rectangular windows with open curtains, an overgrown yard and a mailbox with a sticker reading: "NO JUNK MAIL. Thank you!"

New Zealand police at the suspected gunman's house in Dunedin.

New Zealand police at the suspected gunman's house in Dunedin.Credit: Stuff.co.nz

Two weeks before the attack, Tarrant's one-bedroom, one-bathroom home was listed online as available for rent starting April 2, according to a cached version of the post that has since expired.

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Few details have emerged about Tarrant's life. It is unclear whether he had a job. Several neighbours said they did not know many of their neighbours and had not met Tarrant.

Anytime Fitness confirmed Tarrant was a member of the Dunedin branch of the 24-hour gym. On Sunday, gym regulars said they did not know Tarrant or recall seeing him there.

What is known is that Tarrant was a licensed gun owner and member of the Bruce Rifle Club. He appeared to already have shooting skills when he joined in February 2018 and he typically went to the range by himself, Mr Williams said.

The club has come under criticism from a former member of the New Zealand military named Pete Breidahl, who said he reported it to the police in 2017 after visiting in November that year. He said he had had concerns about the mental stability of the members and the way they handled firearms.

"They wore cammo around the range, like they were living some military base fantasy," Mr Breidahl said in an interview Monday.

Mr Williams said the Bruce Rifle Club was cooperating with the investigation and that it was closed until further notice.

Gun City owner David Tipple says alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant bought guns legally on-line.

Gun City owner David Tipple says alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant bought guns legally on-line.Credit: AP

By the time Tarrant joined the club, he had started buying firearms from Gun City, one of New Zealand's largest gun retailers. David Tipple, the managing director, said his company had sold Tarrant four firearms along with ammunition between December 2017 — a month after Tarrant received his gun license — and March 2018.

Tipple said Tarrant's online purchases had not raised any red flags.

"He was a brand-new purchaser, with a brand-new licence," he said.

The details of Tarrant's arsenal emerged as New Zealand considers tightening its gun regulations. Among the legislative changes the Prime Minister is likely to consider are a ban on semi-automatic weapons and laws requiring that all firearms be registered and all gun sales recorded.

Outside the Dunedin branch of Gun City, Karen Nielsen, 47, stood holding a white poster board with black capital letters reading, "This store sells weapons of mass destruction."

She had a solemn expression as she described how the "horrific, horrific events" in Christchurch had inspired her to protest that morning after she drove her children to school.

Mrs Nielsen said that as a former hunter, she was not opposed to guns. Her husband used to be a member of the Bruce Rifle Club like Tarrant.

"There's nothing wrong with single-bolt firearm rifles," she said. "It's the semi-automatics that we need to get rid of. If you can't kill an animal with one shot, you shouldn't be hunting."

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