New Zealand mosque shooting: Hero who tried to snatch shooter's gun confirmed dead along with his son
Naem Rashid attempted to tackle the shooter but was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries on Friday night.
A man who bravely tried to wrestle the gun away from the Christchurch shooter in the first mosque he targeted has been confirmed dead along with his son who was also a victim of the attack.
Naem Rashid attempted to overpower gunman Brenton Tarrant as he went about shooting indiscriminately at the Masjid Al Noor mosque on Friday, reports said.
Naem was seriously injured after he tried to launch himself at the shooter in order to try and protect the others in the mosque. Post the attack, he was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries on Friday night.
This Muslim man is Naeem Rashid from Abottabad, Pakistan. He sacrificed himself trying to disarm the terrorist at the Mosque in New Zealand. His son Talha was also killed in the attack.
— StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) March 15, 2019
HE IS A HERO. KNOW HIM. 😭
Retweet 💔 pic.twitter.com/03Al22ZmDd
Rashid, who hailed from Abbottabad in Pakistan and worked with a private bank before moving to Christchurch, worked as a teacher. It has also been revealed that Rashid's 21-year-old son Talha was also killed in the massacre. Rashid's brother Dr. Kursheed Alam confirmed to ARY News that his brother and nephew were dead.
Earlier, Pakistan's High Commission in Wellington confirmed that four Pakistani men were wounded while five others were missing.
Meanwhile, a survivor from the mass shooting recalled how a man at the second mosque that Tarrant targeted had managed to tackle the gunman and snatch one of his weapons.
Eyewitness Syed Mazharuddin at the Linwood Masjid mosque shared that he saw the shooter wearing protective gear and firing wildly before a young man tried to tackle the shooter.
Naeem Rashid (centre), from Abbottabad, Pakistan, a hero after he tried to wrestle the gun from the terrorist shooter to save the lives of others at Friday prayers. He died alongside his son. @PTIofficial pic.twitter.com/4QP9s1eNOL
— MARY... THE IRISH INSAFIAN (@IRISHINSAFIAN) March 16, 2019
He told the NZ Herald, "He saw an opportunity and pounced and took his gun." The braveheart tried to use the weapon to defend the helpless victims but did not know how to use the weapon.
"The hero tried to chase and he couldn't find the trigger in the gun... he ran behind him but there were people waiting for him in the car and he fled," he continued.
Syed revealed that he had taken cover when he saw the gunman enter the main enterance door where around 60-70 people were praying.
On Saturday, Australian born Brenton Harrison Tarrant was charged with one count of murder when he faced the Christchurch District Court. Police commissioner Mike Bush confirmed on social media that the death toll stood at 49, with 42 people injured.
