A cop was shot dead on Friday during a routine traffic stop in New Zealand’s Auckland city, according to authorities.
The police officer, understood to be a male, died after he was shot in Massey, west Auckland following a routine traffic stop on Reynella Drive, The New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.
Another officer was also shot and a pedestrian was run over by the fleeing driver following the incident.
A search operation is still underway.
The officer who died was a man who “dedicated his career” to keeping the community safe, Police Minister Stuart Nash said.
One of the officers shot was calling for help and could be heard yelling and was bleeding, according to the report.
This incident comes 11 years since a police officer was killed in the line of duty in New Zealand.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a stateemnt that the news of the police officer’s death was “devastating”.
“To lose a police officer is to lose someone working for all of us, but also a family member, someone’s loved one and friend,” she said.
“Our police officers work hard every day to keep us and our communities safe,” she further added.
According to the police, the last was in May 2009, when a senior constable was shot at a house in Napier while carrying out a routine search warrant.
Police in New Zealand do not normally carry guns, and it is rare for officers to be killed in the line of duty.