Out of the Blue

On 13 November 1990, David Gray, an unemployed man in his 30s, lives in his parents’ small holiday home in Aramoana. He rides his bike into town and gets into a heated disagreement with bank staff over a minor issue. When he returns home, his temper remains volatile, and the sight of a cache of firearms tucked away inside the house underscores how calmly dangerous he can become.

As afternoon light fades, Gray notices children from a neighboring house wandering onto his yard. He unleashes a torrent of verbal abuse, sparking a tense exchange with their father, Garry Holden. In a swift, terrifying turn, Gray disappears into the house and reemerges with a rifle, opening fire and killing Holden. The tragedy is witnessed by Holden’s two young daughters, Chiquita Holden and Jasmine Holden, along with Julie-Anne’s adopted daughter Rewa, who scramble inside Holden’s home to hide.

Gray searches the residence and soon locates the hidden trio. Chiquita is seen fleeing, wounded, as she tries to summon help for Jasmine and Rewa (the fates of Jasmine and Rewa unfold off-screen). She reaches Holden’s partner, Holden’s girlfriend, and the two attempt to drive to safety in a van; Julie-Anne Cathy Tyson drives, hoping to rescue the other girls, only to discover Holden’s house has been set ablaze. Gray’s gunfire pelts the vehicle, and Julie-Anne fights to reach safety as the car’s tires scream on the road.

From nearby, residents hear the gunshots and see the smoke rising, though the full scale of the carnage is not yet clear. Gray then enters a nearby house and murders the two male occupants. Eva Dickson, an elderly widow who recently had hip surgery, pushes out with her walking frame to see what is happening, joined by her neighbor Chris Cole. Earlier, Eva’s son James had left home to search for his dog. A gunshot ring cuts through the day when Gray fires, injuring Cole and narrowly missing Eva. Eva crawls back inside to call the police, then returns to Cole to tell him help is on the way; Cole dies from his injuries later.

A six-person utility pulling up from the beach becomes a tragic scene within sight of the burning house. Gray emerges again, firing at will. The rest of the shootings in this stretch are not shown on screen, leaving the onlookers to confront the fear and horror in their faces.

When the first officers arrive—Sgt Stewart Guthrie, Constable Nick Harvey, and Detective Paul Knox—they attempt to encircle Gray’s home. Gray jumps the perimeter and fatally shoots Guthrie from behind. Harvey, with a rifle, takes aim but hesitates and misses his chance. Knox reaches the utility and learns that one occupant, 3-year-old Stacey Percy, is still alive, though gravely wounded. Knox and Harvey move into Gray’s house but find it empty. They hoist Stacey into a patrol car, with Harvey cradling the injured girl as Knox gathers the bodies of the other two children from the vehicle, then they drive toward a police cordon where paramedics wait. Harvey is visibly shaken and ill from the trauma.

Eva Dickson remains in her kitchen, keeping in touch with police by phone. Her dog returns, smeared with the blood of her son James, whose death occurred off-screen. Police seal off the town, and residents spend a long night in their homes while Gray remains at large. Gray eventually spends the night in a crib that he discovers and, finding it empty, chooses to sleep there.

The following day, authorities surge in force and locate Gray’s hideout. Armed Offenders Squad members surround the small house and, after a brief exchange of gunfire, lob tear-gas canisters inside. Gray bursts out, yelling obscenities and firing from the hip. The waiting officers return fire, wounding him, and he collapses. The AOS detains him despite his final resistance, and he dies from his injuries.

A postscript montage closes the story: the full AOS squad escorts Eva Dickson as a mark of respect for her bravery, Chiquita Holden and Stacey Percy recover in hospital, the house Gray burned down is deliberately torched days later, and a list of the 13 people who died on 13 November is shown.