The Christchurch shootings accused, ‘Brenton Tarrant,’ on Thursday, pleaded guilty of murder charges leveled against him, which came as a shock and surprise for the victims’ families and authorities in New Zealand.
The mass shootings, which occurred on March 15, 2019, in two mosques shocked entire New Zealand as the ghastly gun-attacks were a first in the country’s modern history.
Tarrant entered two mosques and killed 51 people
Brenton Tarrant, 29, took turns to enter the two mosques in Christchurch, namely ‘Al Noor’ and ‘Linwood’ located in the inner-city, and shot randomly on people in the mosque. He had a webcam fixed on his head as he broadcasted the entire attack live on the internet. Previously a gym instructor in Australia, Tarrant, is alleged to have killed 51 people in the horrific gun-attacks and injured 49 more. He is presently in Australia, in an Auckland Prison while his trial was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The trial will now be called off, following his guilty plea. Before this, Tarrant had maintained not-guilty plea for all the charges, and therefore the trial was set.
Christchurch Shootings Victims Families express Shock and Surprise
As soon as the news of his change in plea reached the victims’ families, many expressed shock while some were relieved. The court hearing on Thursday was arranged in a scaled-down manner owing to the Covid-19 lockdown in the country. The hearing, which came at short notice, was conducted in the presence of 2 Imams from the two respective mosques, which were attacked, and they represented the victims’ families. The video conference hearing had the accused Tarrant on the other end, along with his lawyers at an Auckland Prison Cell. Tarrant changed his plea through a video link in the hearing. The family members of the victim were oblivious of any notice about the hearings, and therefore, many were in disbelief initially as the news broke through. The sentence on the 92 charges on Tarrant will be done later when the victims’ families can witness the sentence. That can happen only when the coronavirus situation in the country stabilizes, according to the law officials.
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New Zealand’s Prime Minister “Jacinda Ardern ” stated that the news would be a relief for the families of Christchurch shootings victims, and it will now save them the ordeal of trials. She also mentioned how the Christchurch shootings which shook the nation has “fundamentally changed” the country. The attacks called for stricter gun norms in the country while many policies were imposed on the buying and possession of guns.
