Worshipper Who Rushed Christchurch Gunman Praised

In the wake of the mass shooting that killed dozens of worshippers inside two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, social media users have praised one unarmed victim who ran out to confront the shooter.

The deaths of many of the 49 individuals killed in what the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called a “terrorist attack” on “one of New Zealand’s darkest days” were beamed out live on social media by the shooter from a bodycam.

The graphic footage shows the gunman, identified as Brenton Tarrant in Australian media and described by officials in New Zealand as a 28-year-old white man of Australian origin, as he deals out death at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch. The Associated Press reported 30 worshippers were killed at the one mosque.

Seven minutes into the 17-minute-long Facebook video, the gunman is rushed by an unarmed worshipper who appears to have been killed in his attempt to end the carnage. While it is not clear what happened to the man, he was able to tackle the shooter to the ground. The gunman may have shot him as he made contact and the worshipper is seen falling to the ground. The gunman then turns as he stands up and shoots the worshipper's apparently lifeless body at point-blank range.

Social media users have saluted the unknown man’s attempts to end the shooting. “Halfway through the New Zealand shooting, as dozens around him lay dead, a single unarmed worshipper rushed the shooter, doing whatever he could to make him stop. Some people will publicize the villain. Let's remember the heroes instead,” broadcast journalist Muhammad Lila wrote on Twitter.

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