Singer Bryan Adams has cancelled his Christchurch concert following a mass shooting at two mosques that has left 49 people dead and nearly as many injured.
The 59-year-old Canadian songwriter was due to appear at Hagley Park in the New Zealand city on Sunday, but has since put the concert on hold following the tragic attack.
Adams tweeted the live-music event would be cancelled in ‘solidarity with the victims of the mass murder yesterday’.
Singer Bryan Adams has cancelled his Christchurch concert following a mass shooting at two mosques that has left 49 people dead and nearly as many injured
The 59-year-old Canadian songwriter was due to appear at Hagley Park in the New Zealand city on Sunday, but has since put the concert on hold following the tragic attack
The suspected gunman, 28-year-old Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant (pictured), will appear in Christchurch District Court charged with murder on Saturday, following a mass shooting Friday afternoon at the Al Noor mosque which was live-streamed – a second attack also happened at Linwood Masjid
The suspected gunman, 28-year-old Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant, appeared at Christchurch District Court charged with murder on Saturday, following a mass shooting Friday afternoon at the Al Noor mosque which was live-streamed – a second attack also happened at Linwood Masjid.
The cancellation of the concert comes only 12 hours after Adams tweeted his ‘heart goes out to all the families of the victims of today’s horrific mass shooting’.
Concert organiser Neptune Entertainment director Toby Burrows said staff who were preparing the Hagley stage were promptly evacuated following the attack.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed on Twitter that the death toll stands at 49, with 42 injured.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed two of the 40 people being treated at Christchurch Hospital were in a critical condition – a five-year-old had also been taken to Starship Hospital at Auckland.
Ms Ardern has also vowed to toughen the country’s gun laws after she said the attacker had used five firearms in the attack, including two semi-automatic weapons, two shotguns and a lever action firearm.
She said she had been advised the gunman obtained a Category A licence in November 2017, and ‘under that, he was able to acquire the guns that he held’.
‘While work has been done as to the chain of events that led to both the holding of this gun licence and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now, our gun laws will change,’ Ms Ardern told media.
New Zealand’s gun laws have remained largely unchanged since 1992, when the 1983 law was toughened in response to another massacre in which 13 people died.
‘There have been attempts to change our laws in 2005, 2012 and after an inquiry in 2017. Now is the time for change,’ Ms Ardern said at the press conference.
The cancellation of the concert comes only 12 hours after Adams tweeted his ‘heart goes out to all the families of the victims of today’s horrific mass shooting’ (pictured is a still from a live-stream of the shooting)
Concert organiser Neptune Entertainment director Toby Burrows said staff who were preparing the Hagley stage were promptly evacuated following the attack (pictured, emergency services responding following the mass shooting)
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed two of the 40 people being treated at Christchurch Hospital were in a critical condition – a five-year-old had also been taken to Starship Hospital at Auckland (pictured, Ms Ardern addresses media at a press conference)
‘There are obviously questions being asked of how this person was able to enter the country and undertake this act of terror.’
Two other people remain in custody. A fourth person who was arrested, was found to be a member of the public who was carrying a firearm with the intention of assisting police. They have since been released.
None of those apprehended had a criminal history either in New Zealand or in Australia, nor were they on any watchlists in either country, Ms Ardern said.
The New Zealand prime minister went on to say she had instructed the government bodies to ‘report to Cabinet on Monday on these events with a view to strengthening our systems on a range of fronts including, but not limited to, firearms, border controls, enhanced information-sharing with Australia, and any practice reinforcement of our watch list processes.’
‘Now is the time for change,’ she added.
Ms Ardern said she would like to see semi-automatic weapons banned and was one of the issues she was looking ‘at with immediate effect.’
‘As soon as new Zealanders hear that someone was able to legally acquire, as I’m advised, those weapons and carry out this event, that will raise enormous questions with our gun-laws and that is why we will respond swiftly.’
Ms Ardern said she would like to see semi-automatic weapons banned and was one of the issues she was looking ‘at with immediate effect’ (pictured, emergency services responding to the mass shooting on Friday afternoon)
