Out of the Blue

David Gray cycles into town and argues with staff at a bank over a minor issue. The confrontation exposes his unstable, angry state and foreshadows the violence to come.

Gray cycles back to his parents' holiday home in Aramoana carrying a cache of firearms. He arrives in a volatile mood, setting the stage for the subsequent events.

Neighbors’ children wander into Gray's yard and he verbally abuses them, sparking a heated exchange with Garry Holden. In a moment of lethal impulse, Gray shoots Holden dead.

Chiquita and Jasmine Holden, along with Rewa, hide inside Holden's house as Gray searches for them. The family faces a terrifying escalation of the night’s violence.

Chiquita, wounded, tries to reach help for Jasmine and Rewa. She and Julie-Anne drive toward the scene in a van, only to discover Holden's house has been set on fire and Gray fires at the vehicle.

Gray enters a nearby house and shoots dead both male occupants. Eva Dickson ventures out with her walking frame, and neighbour Chris Cole comes to observe the chaos as Gray fires, wounding Cole and narrowly missing Dickson.

Dickson crawls back inside to call the police and report the danger, while Chris Cole lies badly wounded. Her dog returns stained with blood from her son James, signaling the town's spreading tragedy.

A utility with six people, including three children, stops near Holden's burning house. Gray emerges and opens fire on them, heightening the carnage and fear in the neighborhood.

Sgt Stewart Guthrie, Constable Nick Harvey and Detective Paul Knox arrive and attempt to surround Gray's location. Gray shoots Guthrie dead from behind, and Harvey hesitates, missing the opportunity to take his shot.

Knox and Harvey reach the utility and discover 3-year-old Stacey Percy still alive. They escort Stacey to paramedics and drive to the police cordon while carrying the brutal emotional toll of the scene.

Police seal off the town as residents spend a fearful night with the gunman still at large. Eva Dickson remains vigilant in her home, while Gray hides in a crib and spends the night unseen.

The next day, AOS officers locate the crib and surround the house. They unleash tear gas, and Gray bursts out firing from the hip. He is shot multiple times, collapses, and dies after being restrained.

A postscript montage shows the AOS escorting Eva Dickson as a mark of respect, Chiquita and Stacey recovering in hospital, the house being torched days later, and the list of 13 names who died that day.