Out of the Blue (1991) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

David Gray was an unstable man who had been living in his parents' small holiday home in Aramoana. The violence began after a heated argument with bank staff over a minor issue, which sent him into a rage. When he returned home, he remained volatile, and the confrontation with Garry Holden over children on his yard escalated quickly into murder. The underlying cause appears to be his unstable mental state combined with easy access to firearms stored in the house.

• david gray
• aramoana
• mass shooting
• motivation
• bank argument

Garry Holden's two young daughters, Chiquita and Jasmine Holden, witnessed their father being shot by Gray. Along with their adopted sister Rewa, they fled and hid inside Holden's house while Gray searched for them. Chiquita was wounded but managed to escape and seek help. The fates of Jasmine and Rewa unfold off-screen, with Chiquita later seen heading toward help for the other girls.

• chiquita holden
• jasmine holden
• garry holden
• children
• aramoana

When the first officers arrived, Constable Nick Harvey had a rifle and took aim at Gray, but he hesitated at the critical moment. This hesitation allowed Gray to continue his attack. Harvey's hesitation proved costly as Gray later killed Sgt Stewart Guthrie from behind. Harvey was visibly shaken and ill from the trauma of the event.

• nick harvey
• police
• hesitation
• stewart guthrie
• shooting

Stacey Percy was a 3-year-old passenger in a utility vehicle that stopped near the burning Holden house. Gray opened fire on the vehicle, killing several occupants. However, Stacey was found alive though gravely wounded by Detective Paul Knox. Knox and Harvey carried her to a patrol car and drove toward the police cordon where paramedics were waiting. She survived and later recovered in hospital.

• stacey percy
• 3-year-old
• utility vehicle
• survival
• hospital

When Chiquita Holden escaped and sought help, she enlisted Julie-Anne (Garry Holden's partner) to aid the other girls. Julie-Anne drove a van toward the burning house in an attempt to rescue Jasmine and Rewa. Upon arrival, they discovered Holden's house had been set ablaze. Gray's gunfire pelted the vehicle, forcing Julie-Anne to fight to reach safety as the car tires screamed away from the scene.

• julie-anne
• van
• rescue
• holden house
• fire

Eva Dickson, an elderly widow who had recently undergone hip surgery, was home during the shooting. Her son James had left earlier to search for his dog. During the violence, James was killed off-screen. His body was later found with his dog, which returned to Eva smeared with James's blood. Despite her grief, Eva helped by calling police and checking on wounded neighbor Chris Cole.

• eva dickson
• james dickson
• son
• death
• dog

After the initial chaos and while police sealed off the town, Gray entered Holden's house and discovered a crib. He chose to spend the night inside the crib rather than fleeing, effectively sheltering in place while the town endured a fearful night at large. This bizarre choice to hide in a child's crib added to the surreal nature of the siege.

• gray
• crib
• night
• hide
• holden house

The following day, authorities surged in force and located Gray's hideout. Armed Offenders Squad members surrounded the small house and fired tear-gas canisters inside. Gray burst out, yelling obscenities and firing from the hip. Officers returned fire, wounding him. Despite his final resistance, the AOS detained him, but he died from his injuries before being taken into custody.

• armed offenders squad
• tear gas
• gray killed
• arrest
• confrontation

On November 13, 1990, David Gray rode his bike into Aramoana town center and got into a heated disagreement with staff at the local bank over a minor issue. The argument left him angry and volatile. This confrontation appears to be the immediate trigger that set off his violent breakdown, as he returned home still in a rage and soon after began the massacre.

• bank
• argument
• trigger
• anger
• david gray

Thirteen people died in the Aramoana massacre on November 13, 1990. The postscript montage shows a list of the 13 victims. The victims included Garry Holden, two men in a nearby house, Chris Cole who died from his injuries later, and others. Several survivors, including Chiquita Holden and Stacey Percy, recovered in hospital.

• 13 dead
• victims
• casualties
• aramoana
• memorial