ARAMOANA — 1990 · Major Tragedy
Aramoana Massacre
On 13 November 1990, in the small Otago beach settlement of Aramoana, a resident opened fire after an argument with his neighbour. Thirteen people were killed, including local police Sergeant Stewart Guthrie, one of the first to respond, and several children. The gunman was wounded in a police operation the next day and died on the way to hospital. It was at the time New Zealand's deadliest mass killing and contributed to tighter firearms licensing rules. Sergeant Guthrie was posthumously awarded the George Cross.
- Date
- 1990
- Place
- Otago, New Zealand, Aramoana, NZ
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -45.7750, 170.7000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 13 November 1990The gunman opened fire after arguing with his neighbour; 13 people died.
- 14 November 1990The gunman was wounded by police and died.
- 1992Firearms legislation was tightened.
- 13 November 2020Victims were remembered on the 30th anniversary.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Aramoana massacre en.wikipedia.org ↗
- RNZ — Aramoana shooting survivor remembers that day 30 years ago rnz.co.nz ↗
- New Zealand Police — Operation Aramoana police.govt.nz ↗
- Wikipedia
- RNZ
- New Zealand Police
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.