Christchurch terror attack inquest: ‘Nothing comparable’ to scene inside Linwood mosque, doctor says

By Adam Burns of RNZ

The scene at the Linwood Islamic Centre following the Christchurch terror attacks was unlike anything he had been confronted by before, a community doctor who rushed to help wounded worshippers says.

The inquest into 51 lives lost during the March 2019 mosque shootings resumed on Monday following a one-week recess.

Dr Graham Whitaker, a GP at a Linwood community health clinic near the mosque, was the first to give evidence this morning.

On March 15, 2019 he offered his help to police responding to the shooting.

Seven people were killed at the Linwood mosque.

First responders did a good job considering the unprecedented circumstances, Whitaker said.

“I’ve been a doctor for 30 years – nothing is comparable to what it was like to be inside the mosque,” he told the inquest.

“The emotional intensity, the pressure and the tension were off the scale. The individuals that were working with the person that I tried to assist with, I think, did a good job.”

Christchurch's Linwood Islamic Centre. Photo / RNZ

The inquest had previously heard a police call-taker was alerted to a threat against Linwood Islamic Centre, minutes before the gunman arrived there.

A parliamentary staffer made a 111 call to police within two minutes of receiving an email containing the terrorist’s manifesto, after it was forwarded by another staffer in the Prime Minister’s Office on the day of the attack.

The call was categorised as a “Priority 2″, meaning it was virtually lost as other calls about the mass shooting happening at Al Noor Mosque were listed as “Priority 1″.

Senior Sergeant Roy Appley, a commander in the police southern communications centre on the day of the massacre, told the inquest he had been unaware of the call until he was preparing for the inquest.

Questioning from counsel assisting the coroner, David Boldt, revealed the call was not even discussed during police debriefs following the attacks.

The inquest will examine the following 10 issues over six weeks:

• Events of March 15, 2019 from the commencement of the attack until the terrorist’s formal interview by police
• Response times and entry processes of police and ambulance officers at each mosque
• Triage and medical response at each mosque
• The steps that were taken to apprehend the offender
• The role of, and processes undertaken by, Christchurch Hospital in responding to the attack
• Co-ordination between emergency services and first responders
• Whether the terrorist had any direct assistance from any other person on March 15, 2019
• If raised by immediate family, and to the extent it can be ascertained, the final movements and time of death for each of the deceased
• The cause of death for each of the victims and whether any deaths could have been avoided
• Whether the Al Noor Mosque emergency exit door in the southeast corner of the main prayer room failed to function during the attack and, if so, why?

The inquest continues.