Three shot in Otara
Teens in hospital after being hit by shotgun blasts fired by boys who pulled up in a car and started shooting
Three people are being treated for gunshot wounds after they were hit by shotgun blasts last evening in Otara.
Police confirmed that three young males, aged 14 to 21, were taken to Middlemore Hospital after the shooting. None of their injuries were life threatening. The incident unfolded at the intersection of Preston and Kudu Roads around 7pm.
Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Sutherland said the young men were walking on Kudu Road when a vehicle pulled up next to them.
A confrontation occurred between the two parties and someone in the vehicle fired two shots, believed to be from a shotgun, towards the young men by the road. All three were hit by the gun blasts.
Sutherland said police would remain in the area for some time.
“We want to reassure the local community that we are taking this incident very seriously and are making a number of inquiries to locate the offenders,” he said. He appealed to residents for help.
A teenager said that she saw everything out the window of her house. She said she saw the boys walking near Preston Rd when a car came along.
Two of the boys jumped out of the car and starting shooting at the others, she said.
A Preston Rd resident said he didn't realise what had happened until the police turned up.
“I heard two bangs. At first I thought it didn't matter, that it was just someone banging on corrugated iron. It wasn't until the cops turned up that I realised.” Preston Rd resident Gloria Wijohn said she had not seen or heard any police in the area last night. She had lived on the road for 40 years and never heard of anything like this in the area. “I'm really blown away by it.”