[2] In a press conference, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there was no evidence the attack was an incident of domestic terrorism.
[5] In early December 2021 the suspect, Luke James Lambert, pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted murder.
A 42-year-old man, with an orange beard dressed in beige trousers and a Sons of Anarchy T-shirt, had entered either just before or some time previously.
An eyewitness, Jenny McDowell, reported hearing screaming, before turning around and seeing a man stabbing one of the female staff members, possibly in the back.
[4][8] University of Otago student Helena Rikiti said that staff from the Lotto and vegetable sections of the supermarket rushed over and then more people started screaming.
"[10] She assisted in giving the male victim stabbed in his neck first aid, using her reusable shopping bag to apply pressure to his wounds.
The staff members who were stabbed were a woman, who received severe lacerations in her hands and arms, and a male manager at the supermarket.
[1] On 11 May, the police said a 42-year-old man had been charged with four counts of attempted murder in relation to the stabbing, and would appear in the Dunedin District Court later that day.
"[2] Countdown staff union's retail and finance secretary, Tali Williams says that although there is ongoing discussion about security it is 'hard to know what can stop somebody like that in that situation'.