Pukekohe massacre

Last updated

Pukekohe massacre
New Zealand (location map).svg
Disc Plain red.svg
Paerata
Paerata (New Zealand)
Location Paerata, Auckland Region, New Zealand
Date20 May 1992
Attack type
Mass shooting, stabbing
WeaponsShotgun, .22-calibre rifle, knife
Deaths7 (including the perpetrator)
Injured0
PerpetratorBrian Schlaepfer

On 20 May 1992, 64-year-old Brian Schlaepfer murdered six members of his family on their Paerata farm, near Pukekohe, Auckland Region, New Zealand before he shot himself. [1] [2] [3] [4] The massacre was one of the most high-profile shootings in New Zealand's history. [5] [6]

Contents

Murders

Schlaepfer, who suffered from mild depression, quarreled with his wife in their bedroom before stabbing her to death with a knife. One of his sons went to investigate the noise of the fight and was shot. Schlaepfer then went to the barn where he shot his other son. The wife of one of his sons went from another house to search for the origin of the gunshots and was wounded by shots on the way to the house where the murders had taken place. She ran to her house and called the police on the emergency telephone number (111).

Schlaepfer next shot and stabbed his grandson in his bed, then shot his son's wife in the kitchen while she was talking to the police. Schlaepfer then returned to the barn where he shot his son and waited for his other son to return from work. Schlaepfer shot and stabbed him when he arrived, then went to the bushes near the house and shot himself. Schlaepfer's granddaughter, who had hidden from him in a wardrobe, survived the shooting of her mother and continued speaking to police on the emergency line for three hours, describing what was happening at the scene until it was secured by police. Schlaepfer used a shotgun and a .22-calibre rifle during the shooting. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Gun control context

At the time of the event, gun owners were still regulated under the Arms Act 1983, which granted lifetime licences. [12] New Zealand legislation to amend the act in order to review licences every 10 years (a consequence of the 1990 Aramoana massacre) had not yet been enacted. Thomas Thorp considered the Schlaepfer murders in his comprehensive 1995 Review of Firearms Control in New Zealand for the New Zealand Government. [1] Thorp found that Schlaepfer had been issued with a class A firearms licence in 1984 and had no known history of mental illness or domestic violence according to police records. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunblane massacre</span> Mass shooting in Dunblane, Scotland

The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Police</span> National police service of New Zealand

The New Zealand Police is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaining public order. With over 15,000 personnel, it is the largest law enforcement agency in New Zealand and, with few exceptions, has primary jurisdiction over the majority of New Zealand criminal law. The New Zealand Police also has responsibility for traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement as well as other key responsibilities including protection of dignitaries, firearms licensing, and matters of national security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aramoana massacre</span> 1990 mass shooting in Aramoana, New Zealand

The Aramoana massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on 13 November 1990 in the small seaside township of Aramoana, northeast of Dunedin, New Zealand. Resident David Gray killed 13 people, including local police Sergeant Stewart Guthrie, one of the first responders to the reports of a shooting, after a verbal dispute between Gray and his next-door neighbour. After a careful house-to-house search the next day, police officers led by the Anti-Terrorist Squad located Gray, and shot and injured him as he came out of a house firing from the hip. He died in an ambulance while being transported to hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aramoana</span> Coastal settlement in Otago, New Zealand

Aramoana is a small coastal settlement 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. The settlement's permanent population in the 2001 Census was 261. Supplementing this are seasonal visitors from the city who occupy cribs. The name Aramoana is Māori for "pathway of the sea".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed Offenders Squad</span> Police squad in New Zealand

The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment.

<i>Out of the Blue</i> (2006 film) 2006 New Zealand film

Out of the Blue is a 2006 New Zealand crime drama film directed by Robert Sarkies and starring Karl Urban. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and was released in New Zealand on 12 October 2006. The film grossed over $1 million at the New Zealand box-office, taking it into the top ten highest grossing local films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in New Zealand</span>

New Zealand has experienced few terrorist incidents in its short history and the threat is generally regarded as very low. However, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has warned against complacency. This article serves as a list and compilation of past acts of terrorism, attempts of terrorism, and other such items pertaining to terrorist activities within New Zealand. Significant acts of terrorism include the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, an act of state-sponsored terrorism by France, and the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, a far-right attack which resulted in 51 deaths and 40 injuries.

The Bassett Road machine gun murders were the murders of two men with a .45 calibre Reising submachine gun on 7 December 1963 at 115 Bassett Road in the Auckland suburb of Remuera in New Zealand. The crime received considerable media attention and captured the public imagination for many years. Although the weapon was set to single and not rapid-fire for the killings, word spread quickly of a "Chicago-style" gang murder previously unheard of in New Zealand.

The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

Military-style semi-automatic firearms in New Zealand are those semi-automatic firearms known in the United States as "assault weapons". The phrase is often abbreviated as military-style semi-automatic (MSSA). A New Zealand firearms licence-holder requires an E Category endorsement on their licence before they can possess this type of firearm, and a police-issued permit to procure each firearm is required. Arriving at a clear definition and common understanding of which semi-automatic firearms have a military-style configuration has dominated debate about gun-control legislation in New Zealand since 1992.

The Special Tactics Group (STG) is the full-time police tactical group of the New Zealand Police. The STG, originally named the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), was established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond the scope or capacity of everyday policing. STG officers directly support operational police in incidents, such as sieges, with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence, and command support services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mass shooting</span> Firearm violence incident

A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers kill or injure multiple individuals simultaneously using a firearm. There is no widely accepted definition, and different organizations tracking such incidents use different criteria. Mass shootings are often characterized by the indiscriminate targeting of victims in a non-combat setting, and thus the term generally excludes gang violence, shootouts and warfare. Mass shootings may be done for personal or psychological reasons, but have also been used as a terrorist tactic. The perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting may be referred to as an active shooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribesmen Motorcycle Club</span> New Zealand motorcycle gang

The Tribesmen are a prominent outlaw motorcycle club based in the North Island of New Zealand. They have a relatively large presence, having set up chapters in Ōtara, Northland, Rotorua, Murupara and Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christchurch mosque shootings</span> 2019 terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand

Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40 p.m. and almost immediately afterwards at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 p.m. Altogether, 51 people were killed and 89 others were injured; including 40 by gunfire.

The Raurimu massacre was a mass shooting that took place in 1997 in Raurimu, New Zealand. Stephen Anderson murdered six people and wounded four. The massacre was one of the five most deadly mass shootings in the country's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019</span> New Zealand gun control law

The Arms Amendment Act 2019 is an act of the New Zealand Parliament that amends the Arms Act 1983 to ban semi-automatic firearms, large capacity magazines, and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms. It was introduced by Labour Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament Stuart Nash in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings. The Bill passed its third and final reading on 10 April 2019, receiving royal assent the following day. The Arms Amendment Bill was supported by all parties represented in Parliament except the opposition ACT Party.

The 1991 New Zealand bravery awards were announced via a Special Honours List dated 19 December 1991. Twelve of the 33 recipients were recognised for acts of bravery during the Aramoana Massacre on 13 November 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Installations of the United States Navy in New Zealand</span> Former naval bases of the United States in New Zealand

The United States Navy maintained a number of naval installations in New Zealand during the Pacific War of World War II.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thorp, Thomas (June 1997). Review of Firearms Control in New Zealand (PDF). Wellington: GP Print. pp. 66–69, 250–251. ISBN   0-477-01796-7 – via police.govt.nz.
  2. ↑ "Schlaepfer farm murders, 1992 | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Christchurch mosque shootings are one of the world's worst massacres". NZ Herald. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Auto, Hermes (16 March 2019). "Mass shooting incidents in New Zealand | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "High profile shootings in New Zealand". Stuff. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Crime and Punishment: Will freeing more prisoners work?". NZ Herald. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  7. ↑ Alpers, Philip (June 1997). "The People Most Likely to Kill with a Gun & Eleven Years of Mass Gun Killings in Australia and New Zealand, 1987-97". gunpolicy.org. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Day of slaughter on family farm". NZ Herald. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  9. ↑ "The Schlaepfer Family Massacre". www.crime.co.nz. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "9-Year-Old Girl Praised After Massacre". AP NEWS. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "FARMER KILLS 6 MEMBERS OF FAMILY, HIMSELF". Deseret News. 20 May 1992. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  12. ↑ Swinton, Nathan (September 2019). A Turning Point for Firearms Regulation: Implications of Legislative and Operational Reforms in the Wake of the Christchurch Shootings (PDF). Wellington, New Zealand: Fulbright New Zealand. p. 7. Retrieved 19 February 2022.

Further reading

37°10′01″S174°52′16″E / 37.167°S 174.871°E / -37.167; 174.871

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.