LynnMall stabbing inquest hears emotional testimony from brave hero who aided victims
Ahamed Samsudeen coming out of the New Lynn train station, on the day of the attack on in September 2021.
Photo:
Supplied
Two civilians, who'd earlier been awarded bravery medals for their courageous acts during the LynnMall terror attack in 2021, have given emotional testimonies at the inquest of Ahamed Samsudeen - with one of them sharing that they told Samsudeen on the day of the attack, "Your God does not condone this".
Samsudeen stabbed five people, and injured two others at a Countdown supermarket in Auckland's New Lynn, before he was shot and killed by police.
Michael Andrews held back tears as he recounted the events of 3 September 2021, particularly when he spoke of seeing the injured survivors.
Andrews said he heard Samsudeen say to himself "Allahu Akbar" three or four times as he crouched over a victim.
Andrews said he told Samsudeen his actions were wrong.
"I firmly stated 'Your God does not condone this', before I yelled at him," he said.
Michael Andrews, who awareded a New Zealand Bravery Medal for his actions following the mass stabbing, giving witness testimony on Friday.
Photo:
RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Andrews said he was within 1.5 metres of Samsudeen, who subsequently came toward him with the knife.
"He swung his knife aggressively towards me and with much more energy than when he had been stabbing and cutting [survivor] on the ground.
"He went from zero to a hundred quickly and moved towards me to attack me," Andrews recalled.
Andrews said he ran away and grabbed a metal pole for protection.
He said he held the pole toward Samsudeen as the attacker continued to swing the knife toward him.
Andrews said another shopper yelled at Samsudeen, eventually distracting him away.
Andrews was emotional as he spoke of seeing an injured survivor on the ground.
He said he'd asked another shopper to hold the hand of the survivor to keep her conscious, as he went to apply pressure to the wounds of another survivor.
Off-duty paramedic Ross Tomlinson was another civilian who attempted to distract Samsudeen and stop him from attacking others.
Tomlinson said he witnessed Samsudeen stabbing a person and told him to drop his weapon.
He told the inquest he was then approached by Samsudeen.
"I told Mr Samsudeen several times to drop the knife. He didn't respond and kept coming towards me.
"He didn't run but was pacing towards me. His breathing was heavy with a deranged look on his face.
"It was neither happy nor angry, but deranged or manic."
Ross Tomlinson during his evidence into the inquest of Ahamed Samsudeen.
Photo:
RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Tomlinson said Samsudeen was slashing his knife in the air and was saying with a raised voice, "Allahu Akbar".
He said several other civilians were also trying to distract Samsudeen and asked him to put down the knife, before the two plain-clothed police officers arrived.
Tomlinson said both officers had ordered Samsudeen to put down his knife before they shot him.
"The commands from them were really, really clear. People from behind scattered when they were told to get out of the way.
"There is in no world where he didn't hear that command very clearly, repeated and was given every opportunity to drop that weapon. He didn't do so.
"As a matter of fact, they (the police) acted in my best interests to save my life. [It's] worth stating that those commands were very, very clear and he was afforded every opportunity to stop this violence," he said.
Under questioning by a lawyer Anna Adams assisting the Coroner, Tomlinson said the two officers were the first to attend to Samsudeen after they shot him.
He said he also unpacked some nappies from the shelves for helping with Samsudeen's wounds - however based on more than 10 years of experience as a paramedic, he felt Samsudeen couldn't have been saved.
Tomlinson said he observed signs of "agonal breathing" from Samsudeen, which he said happens with people who are having a cardiac arrest or some form of internal haemorrhaging.
He said Samsudeen's breathing quickly stopped and he believed that there was not much one could do to save him, and even life support may not have worked.
Earlier when Coroner Marcus Elliott opened the inquest, he said it would not be revisiting the conclusion of the Independent Police Conduct Authority finding that two officers were legally justified in shooting Samsudeen, and that the surveillance officer who decided not to follow Samsudeen into the supermarket initially, had acted reasonably.
However, he said that does not mean there was nothing to learn from the attack, and the inquest would discuss recommendations.
More to come...
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
11 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Dunedin Gasworks Museum to reopen after repairs
The chimney at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum, with machinery nearby. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton New Zealand's only gasworks museum will reopen after repairs to its 25-metre high chimney. The Dunedin Gasworks Museum was closed in April after cracks were discovered in the chimney stack due to possible earthquake damage. The category-one historic place, owned by the Dunedin City Council, was last month found to be in a worse condition than first thought . The damaged chimney stack at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum. Photo: SUPPLIED / DUNEDIN CITY COUNCIL The council's property services group manager Anna Nilsen said contractors spent three weeks removing about 4000 bricks from the top of the chimney, lowering its height by about four metres. "The expert advice we've received is that the chimney is no longer an imminent risk to the safety of those around it, so the dangerous building notice issued last month has now been lifted and the exclusion zone around the chimney has been removed," she said. The museum could return to almost normal operations without the use of the chimney for now, she said. An affected building notice issued to the neighbouring Woolworths supermarket had also been lifted. The total cost of the repairs had not been confirmed. The council had requested a full condition assessment of the chimney and that would determine what further work would be needed and whether it could be used safely. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Concern Mark Lundy parole board condition impinges on freedom of speech
Mark Lundy Photo: RNZ Mark Lundy hasn't said or written a word publicly since he was released from prison early last month. That's because the man twice convicted of murdering his wife Christine and daughter Amber in Palmerston North in August 2000 cannot speak to the media, post on social media or blog about his case. Given he proclaims his innocence, there is concern this Parole Board condition impinges on his right to freedom of speech. He's on a life sentence, so potentially could be subjected to conditions for decades. When the Parole Board raised the possibility of banning Lundy from giving media interviews , his response was clear: "I'd welcome it with open arms," he told board members. Mark Lundy was released from prison last month. Photo: RNZ / Daniel Jones He said when he was on bail ahead of his 2015 retrial, reporters swarmed his street and accosted him. Private investigator Tim McKinnel said the parole condition not to speak publicly took away a person's most important tool - their own voice. "I think these conditions that gag or muzzle prisoners who come out of prison, who are maintaining their innocence, are really problematic," he said. "I think there is a real risk that comes from preventing people from speaking out on their own behalf." Such conditions might be well intentioned, but they were a breach of freedom of expression, McKinnel said. That it was the board raising the matter with Lundy, rather than something he brought up, was concerning. "I think that's quite different than having that question put to them by the parole board: 'We are contemplating a condition where you cannot speak publicly about your case, what do you think about that?' "In the context of a parole hearing, you're going to be a pretty brave prisoner to push back on the Parole Board against those types of questions or scenarios." Gail Maney was acquitted for her role in Deane Fuller-Sandys' death. Photo: Jason Dorday / Stuff In some wrongful conviction cases, such as Gail Maney , her public advocacy played a huge role in proving she was not involved in killing Deane Fuller-Sandys in the late 1980s, McKinnel said. "Look at the history of wrongful conviction cases in New Zealand. There is scarcely a case when the media haven't played a fundamentally important role in exposing those miscarriages of justice. "If you take away the voice of the prisoner in arguing for themselves, I think you're at risk of preventing some of these cases emerging." McKinnel is known for his work in helping expose Teina Pora 's wrongful conviction for killing Susan Burdett. Such conditions might be well intentioned, but they were a breach of freedom of expression, McKinnel said. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Pora was also banned from talking to media when on parole before his conviction was quashed. A progress parole hearing heard he was grateful to live without media intrusion. In a statement, the Parole Board said it had on rare occasions imposed media restrictions when granting parole. It did so in Lundy's case to protect him, after he expressed concerns about media interest in him, and to take into account victims' concerns about news reports from when he was on bail awaiting retrial. Media law expert Steven Price said the restriction on Lundy was wide ranging. "It's not just that he can't speak to the media, he can't go on social media either, and he can't go on webpages his parole officer says he can't go on. "They're pretty wide restrictions and they certainly affect his freedom of speech." The Parole Board could impose restrictions for reasons such as reducing the chance of reoffending, but it couldn't be more restrictive than necessary. Photo: Supplied Price agreed with McKinnel that people up for parole, such as Lundy, were likely to agree with any condition the board suggested. "[Lundy's] been convicted twice of murder in extremely controversial circumstances and he can't talk about that to the media. We can't ask him about that. "We can't ask him about his experiences in prison. He can't even go on social media and join a Facebook group to support social media or the All Blacks." Price said the board should have tailored restrictions on Lundy's speech to limit what would genuinely be harmful, but he acknowledged it's a difficult situation. Koi Tū research fellow Dr Gavin Ellis said he hoped the Parole Board would review Lundy's restriction at some point, given its implications for free speech. "It's the wider principle that I think as a society we need to safeguard. The rights under the Bill of Rights Act were hard won, hard fought for, and need to be protected." Media had a right to be concerned at such conditions, Ellis said. The Parole Board noted that in its decision, it said the following: "On balance, this board is satisfied that Mr Lundy will not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community if released on parole on strict conditions designed to address his risk as well as assist in his reintegration and address victim concerns." Although Lundy's parole conditions were imposed for life, he could apply to have his restrictions varied at any time, and he would have a monitoring hearing to check on his progress in October. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
25 minutes ago
- RNZ News
Mental health in the agricultural sector
health rural 19 minutes ago While farmers are treated to record dairy and meat prices, mental health is still a massive issue with disproportionately high suicide rates in rural areas. Huge work loads, isolation and lots of financial pressure can all take a toll. A $3 million funding boost for the Rural Support Trust has been a welcome announcement at Fieldays in Hamilton, but has now sparked calls for more clinical psychologists in rural areas. Alexa Cook reports.
