Large shark kills man in rare attack off New Zealand beach, police fire shots into water

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – A shark has killed a man off a New Zealand beach that was closed after the rare attack there.

Police said the man was found dead in the water Wednesday afternoon after being "bitten by a large shark." Police and surf lifesavers recovered the man's body. The police statement said Muriwai Beach near the city of Auckland has been closed.

Witness Stef McCallum told Fairfax Media that about 200 people were at the beach at the time, during the Southern Hemisphere summer. She said she saw a police officer go out in a surf lifesaving boat and fire multiple shots into the water at the shark.

Fatal shark attacks are relatively rare in New Zealand. Fairfax reports 14 deaths since record-keeping began in the 1830s.