Hero police reveal how they brought New Zealand mosque massacre to an end

The heroic police officers who brought an end to the New Zealand mosque killer's rampage have revealed how they tracked down the shooter - after coming straight from a training session on how to deal with armed criminals. 

Yesterday, an image emerged showing two officers surrounding 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant after he allegedly opened fire on hundreds of worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday.    

The brutal killing spree, which the shooter sickeningly live-streamed on Facebook, left 50 dead including children, a renowned heart surgeon and a talented sportsman who were murdered as they prayed.

Today, the officers who brought the horrific incident to an end have revealed the snap decisions they had to make when trying to bring the gunman's car to a stop, as he weaved in and out of lanes with his hazard lights on. 

Speaking to The New Zealand Herald, Senior Sergeant Pete Stills, of New Zealand Police, said the officers had been dispatched to search for the killer while at a training session on how to deal with armed offenders.

He said: 'They had their work vehicles there with them with firearms in them. They operationalised themselves and got into one car, they decided to skirt the city, they thought that's what the offender would do - rather than drive through the central business district.' 

The officers then made the decision to drive along Brougham Street, as they thought if he'd just been to Linwood - the second mosque he attacked - that would be a likely route he might take. 

And their decision paid off, just moments later they spotted a suspicious car driving along the road - with a man fitting the description of the offender coming right for them.

Stills continued: 'They were trying to catch up with him, they were discussing tactics - did they want to pursue him?'   

Considerations racing through their minds included whether the gunman might get away and hurt more innocent members of the public, or, should they decide to ram him, whether a crash might hurt innocent road users. 

But they decided to go ahead with bringing the alleged gunman's vehicle to a stop, and so rammed it on the driver's side until it came to a halt. 

Yelling at members of the public to get back, both officers - who have 40 years of policing between them - had to drag Tarrant to the ground, claiming he was 'non-compliant' when they approached him.  

And dramatic footage captured the moment the arrest took place, with the two officers restraining the alleged attacker on the ground.   

Praising his officers' behaviour, the Sergeant said: 'I was surprised how calm and collected they were.

'They wouldn't have been scared, we practice for this stuff - to be honest, it was lucky two officers with that amount of service and experience were there.'

And added that without their brave actions, more people would likely have been killed.  

As of Monday morning local time, only one person remained missing and the remaining 49 victims had been identified.   

They include, Junaid Ismail, 36, who left behind a wife, three young children and a mother who relied on him to care for her.

Another, Ansi Alibava, 25, was eagerly awaiting her graduation ceremony from her masters degree in May, while Hussein Al-Umari, 36, was a regular at the Masjid Al Noor mosque.   

Also among the dead is Tariq Omar, 24, who is remembered for his kind and humble nature and was a former student of Cashmere High School in Christchurch. 

Kamel Darwish, 38, who moved to Christchurch from Jordan six months ago and was awaiting the arrival of his wife and three children - was convinced to go to New Zealand by his brother, who had lived there since 2007 and said it was a 'safe place to raise a family'. 

Sixty-year-old Abdelfattah Qasem, from Palestine, was also killed on Friday at the Masjid Al Noor mosque - he was the Muslim Association of Canterbury's former secretary.    

Another among the dead is Musa Vali Suleman Patel, 60, who was visiting Christchurch to see his son and was a highly respected leader of the Fiji Muslim League - he left behind his wife Saira Bibi Patel, three daughters and two sons.

Ramiz Arifbhai Vora, 28, and his father Arifbhai Mohamedali Vora, 58, were both shot dead on Friday. 

The 28-year-old lived and worked in Christchurch and had a baby daughter a week before he was killed in the vicious attack - his father was visiting him from India at the time.  

Ozair Kadir, 24, was a student pilot at the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand and had been in Christchurch for just a year when he was killed on Friday.

Another among the victims is Maheboob Allarakha Khokhar, 65, who was due to return to India on Sunday after visiting his son in Christchurch.

Four-year-old Abdullahi Dirie was also named among the dead after both he and his father Adan were shot at one of the mosques, while four of his siblings escaped unhamed.