Christchurch terror attack inquest: Paramedic responds to criticism St Johns slow to arrive on scene

St John paramedic Craig Stockdale was one of the first paramedics to enter the Al Noor mosque. Inquest into the Christchurch mosque attacks held at the Christchurch High Court 07 November 2023 Photo / Chris Skelton

By Danielle Clent of RNZ

One of the first paramedics on the scene at Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque has responded to police criticismthat St John was slow to arrive after the terror attack.

The inquest into the 2019 mass shooting that left 51 people dead earlier heard St John staff did not enter the Deans Avenue mosque until about 30 minutes after the terrorist had left.

A number of police have given evidence, expressing frustration their requests to have ambulances “come forward” to help severely injured worshippers seemingly went unactioned.

Some spoke of seeing ambulances further up Deans Ave when they were asking for them to roll in.

Ambulance officer Craig Stockdale told the Coroners Court on Tuesday afternoon: “The ambulances were not simply stopped”.

Stockdale said St John treated its first patient related to the attack at nearby Argyle on the Park Motel at 1.56pm.

He and his colleague were then treating another patient when police approached, asking them to drive down to the scene and help further victims.

Stockdale said they then drove down to the scene - which had not been deemed safe - with the patient still in the ambulance.

Stockdale said actions taken by St John staff during the response to the attack were not something he would like to see become routine.

A police officer keeps watch at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch on the first anniversary of the terror attacks. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Staff repeatedly entered the mosque while it was still unsafe, he said.

There was the potential for a shooter to return, as there wasa backpack that had been pointed out as a potential improvised explosive device (IED).

Protocol stated that on learning of an IED, St John is meant to drop everything, get out and wait until the scene is safe.

But Stockdale said the risk of people dying was “too high”, so staff continued to work despite the extreme risk.

“We made our decisions on the day, but I would not want our response to become a required practice for general ambulance staff. Had things gone less well, we could have an injured or dead responder and an investigation into how and why.”

Stockdale said staff continued to act despite the significant risk in and around the mosque.

“Prudence would have suggested we wait until the scene was known to be safer. That may have taken several hours and would have compromised patient outcomes. We sought to avoid compromise to patients by entering the scene in the mosque earlier and utilising a tailored approach to mitigate the apparent risk. I believe that we helped to save lives and improve outcomes.”

Stockdale told the court the scene at Al Noor Mosque was “chaotic” when he arrived and he declared it a mass-casualty event.

There were injured and deceased all around, Stockdale said.

Uninjured people were distressed, with blood-stained clothing.

A man carrying a dead toddler approached him.

Stockdale became emotional, saying he regretted not having the time to properly support and console him.

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

• Events of 15 March, 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
• Coordination between emergency services and first responders
• Whether the terrorist had any direct assistance from any other person on 15 March 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 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.