Homeless Shooter Kills Two At Welfare Office

A homeless man suspected of shooting dead two people at a welfare office in New Zealand has been detained after a seven-hour manhunt.

A third person was seriously injured when a man opened fire inside the Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) office in Ashburton before fleeing on a bike.

Police named the suspect as 48-year-old John Tully - who was interviewed by the local newspaper last month talking about his struggles with the benefit system and finding somewhere to live.

Tully is alleged to have entered WINZ at 10am (local time) wearing a black balaclava.

The shooting took place at 10am

Residents of the small town were warned to stay indoors before Tully was apprehended near a lake by a police dog unit at 5pm.

He was treated for minor dog bite injuries.

Superintendent Gary Knowles said: "Nothing will give the families that have lost their loved ones closure but the community can go to sleep tonight with the thought that the person who we believe may be responsible is in custody."

Police are still searching for the murder weapon - believed to be a sawn-off shotgun.

The manhunt lasted seven hours

The Ministry of Social Development confirmed all three victims worked for the agency but gave no further details.           

"We are all devastated by the deaths of two of our colleagues in the shocking attack," chief executive Brendan Boyle said.

Local media reported that both of the deceased were women.

The third victim was reported to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

In an interview last month, Tully told the Ashburton Guardian he previously worked in Australian mines but now lived in a tent after being unable to secure government-assisted accommodation.

Two people died and a third is in a serious condition after the shooting

He also wrote to the authorities about his struggles.

Lawmaker Winston Peters confirmed Tully emailed his political party on August 14 about the difficulty of finding a house.

"We replied immediately and also followed up," Mr Peters said. "However, the emails kept bouncing back."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key offered his condolences to the victims and their families.

"There will be many questions to be asked and answered in the coming days about how this happened," said Mr Key.

"Every day New Zealanders get up in the morning to go to work, and their families expect them to return home. In this case that hasn't happened and my thoughts are with the loved ones."

Ashburton is home to about 18,000 people and is 90 kilometres (56 miles) southwest of Christchurch.

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