Watch: Police Commissioner gives update on Auckland shooting that left three dead

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is giving a media conference on the fatal shootings in Auckland.

Three people are dead, including the gunman, after shots were fired at a construction site on lower Queen Street this morning.

Police said at this stage they could confirm an officer had been injured as well as four members of the public. St John said six patients had been transported to hospital.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said police had neutralised the threat and there was no national level security risk.

There was no identified political or ideological motive behind the shooting, he said. It was not being considered an act of terror.

The offender was armed with a pump-action shotgun, and moved through the building site discharging the firearm as he went, Hipkins said.

When he got to the upper levels of the building the man "contained himself in an elevator, shots were fired, and he was located a short time later", he said.

Coster started by extending his condolences and sympathies to the families and colleagues of those who were killed.

"Their lives have been irrevocably affected by this tragic situation and our thoughts are with them.

"I've had an update from the investigation team (which) is working at pace to understand why and how this terrible event occurred today in the Auckland CBD. At 7.22am, police received multiple emergency calls with reports of a person discharging a firearm from inside the third floor of a building under construction at the bottom of Queen Street.

"Police were on scene at the site within minutes. We are continuing to piece together the entire sequence of events, but what we know is as follows.

"The offender made his way up through the building site, discharging his firearm on multiple occasions. Police entered the building within 10 minutes. Staff from various groups, right across Tamaki Makarau, responded and members of the public inside the building were evacuated wherever possible. We know that several workers found refuge hiding inside the building during the event.

"At around 8am, out Armed Offenders Squad, supported by Special Tactics group, located the offender inside a lift shaft where he has barricaded himself and attempted to engage him, having secured the floors above and below. The offender fired at police, injuring an officer.

"Shots were exchanged, and the offender was later found deceased. Tragically, police found two members of the public deceased on the lower levels of the building site.

"The police officer was transported to hospital in a critical condition. We can advise he has stabilised. The four members of the public have injuries, ranging from moderate to serious. At least one of these people self-represented to Auckland City Hospital with moderate injuries.

"While the situation is still developing, we know that there may be more victims as they make themselves known to police and these injury statuses may change. The building has now been cleared and the lockdown lifted.

"A scene guard will remain in place while investigations continue. This was an incredibly alarming incident for workers who were just starting their day. We have contained the situation and are not seeking anybody else. We have not formally identified the offender, however, we believe he is a 24-year-old. We understand he has worked at the construction site and believe the reason for his presence at the site this morning was connected with that work.

"We know that those who live and work in the vicinity may be feeling vulnerable. However, we can provide reassurance that there is no reason for ongoing concern about this situation. There is an increased police presence in the area, and we reassure the public that they can continue to come into the central city. The immediate vicinity remains cordoned while our team takes the scene examination.

"We are communicating with local and central government and FIFA tournament organisers. We've been part of the planning for the FIFA Women's World Cup for some time and as such, we are well placed to manage the impacts of the event.

"We're satisfied there is no ongoing risk to the public and no reason why the tournament should not proceed. The matches are safe to attend.

"Again, I want to acknowledge this has been a shocking and traumatic event for those people who came to work and found themselves in the middle of an armed emergency. Thankfully, many people were able to escape the building, but I know for those who hid or remained trapped, this was a terrifying experience.

"I want to acknowledge the bravery of our staff who walked towards danger to keep the public safe. I am very proud of their actions today."

St John ambulance manager Stuart Cockburn said initially, five ambulances were sent to the scene.

"We responded initially (with) five ambulances, four of our rapid response critical care paramedics and four managers to the scene. We obviously went to a safe forward point and awaited the scene to be made safe by police.

"We've assessed and treated 10 patients, seven of those have been transported to hospital, mostly moderate to minor injuries, two with more serious injuries and we've assessed and not transported three other patients."

St John also deployed major incident support unit and a command unit.

Cockburn said not all 10 injured were gunshot-related, but he understood seven of them were.

"I am incredibly proud of our response. Nobody comes to work expecting an incident like this to unfold. They've done an amazing job, I am very proud of them. We have now stood them down and we are debriefing them. Incredibly proud of our response.

"It's traumatic but our staff are trained to deal with major incidents. They switch into operational mode. The important thing is we now support them after the incident and ongoing from today."