190 people inside Al Noor mosque at time of terror attack, inquest hears

Tuesday, 7 November 2023

St John paramedic Craig Stockdale became emotional as he recalled arriving at the Al Noor mosque and being met by a man carrying a young boy who appeared to be dead.

With his voice breaking, one of the first paramedics at Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque on March 15 recalls arriving to a man carrying a 3-year-old boy to him, pleading for help.

“It was apparent the child had not survived,“ paramedic Craig Stockdale told the inquest into the terror attacks as he fought back tears on Tuesday afternoon.

He and his St John colleagues who responded to the Al Noor mosque on March 15, 2019, will continue giving evidence on Wednesday.

About 1.40pm that day, terrorist Brenton Tarrant entered the Masjid An Nur (Al Noor mosque) on Deans Ave and opened fire, ultimately killing 44 worshippers and injuring dozens of others. He then sped to the Linwood Islamic Centre, murdering another seven people and injuring more.

Earlier in his evidence, Stockdale said he understood there were about 190 people inside the Al Noor mosque at the time of the shooting.

There were about 190 people inside the Masjid Al Noor (Al Noor mosque) at the time of the shooting on March 15, 2019, the inquest has heard.

At 1.56pm, he and his partner arrived at the Argyle on the Park motel on Deans Ave less than a block from the mosque after police called for ambulances. A man in the car park with a clipped beard in his 60s had a serious gunshot wound to his abdomen and had been given initial first aid by a police officer, Stockdale said.

The man was taken to hospital by another ambulance that arrived shortly after, about 2.05pm. While still there, a second man with gunshot wounds to his torso and leg approached on foot pleading for help, the paramedic told the inquest.

Stockdale and his partner provided the man basic care and although it did not appear that English was his first language, he indicated there were more injured people at the mosque. His injuries were not life threatening, Stockdale said.

A police officer then arrived and said ambulances were needed at the mosque urgently as there were casualties there. The paramedics took the unusual approach of driving straight there with the patient in the back of the ambulance, Stockdale said.

The scene “appeared chaotic” when they arrived, he told the inquest.

Deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley is presiding over the six-week inquest into the attacks.

“There were injured and deceased, uninjured and distressed people, some with blood-stained clothing… a gentleman approached me with a young child aged 3, it was apparent the child had not survived. Normally I would console the gentleman, I regret not having the time to do so.”

Stockdale struggled to get through this part of his evidence and the court took its afternoon break at this time. When he returned, he told the inquest he realised the number of injured was far greater than he first thought.

He was the acting paramedic in charge of the scene for St John and declared a mass casualty event, prompting more ambulances to arrive shortly after.

Stockdale said some police statements from the day seemed to suggest ambulances were waiting at the corner of Riccarton Rd and Deans Ave, despite being called to the mosque. He said this was not the case. His was the first ambulance there and was treating patients at Argyle on the Park at this time, he told the inquest.

“The ambulances were not simply stopped.”

Anne Toohey is counsel for some of the families of the victims and survivors.

Earlier on Tuesday, police’s commander of the scene said it was “days or weeks” later when he realised that victims inside the mosque were left alone for 10 minutes after the first AOS team cleared the building and left.

He said he was told by AOS that some police remained inside as their first team moved to respond to reports of shots at the Linwood Islamic Centre.

Anne Toohey, counsel for some families and survivors, asked the commander if he felt police resources at the scene were thin when that team left, leaving three AOS staff there.

“I don’t want to be flippant but I’ve driven home and seen more police at a traffic incident than that. Did this, at the time, seem incredibly thin on the ground to you in terms of a police presence at what must’ve been New Zealand’s worst crime scene?” she asked.

The commander said the AOS leaders on the ground assured him they had enough staff.

He accepted victims should not have been left alone inside for 10 minutes.

“Did you have a debrief about that?,“ Toohey asked.

“Never. I haven’t been a part of any discussion on this or learnings thereof,“ he said.

The inquest continues.