‘Gentle’ teen shot in the face
Aunt tells of horror as nephew shot playing basketball with friends
The aunt of an Auckland teen shot in the face believes her “gentle nephew” was fired at from a car while playing basketball with other kids.
The aunt said the boy — who was in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital last night but has likely lost sight in his left eye — took to social media to give an account of the Northcote shooting about 7pm on Friday.
The woman said her 16-year-old nephew was at a basketball court in Cadness St when a car drove past and shot “blindly into a group of people”.
“He was at our local basketball court with friends when it happened. Imagine your kid going to the local park then being told they’d been shot,” she said.
“It was my harmless, gentle nephew, my Choppas. I called my sister and could hear the rage in her voice. She was already on her way to the hospital to be by her baby.”
The boy’s mother also took to Facebook to report that doctors had said her son had likely lost sight in his left eye after being shot with “shotgun shrapnel”.
“And he might be blind in both eyes. We know the left one for sure,
Imagine your kid going to the local park then being told they’d been shot.
Teen’s aunt
time will tell if he’s blind in the right one.”
Police said yesterday no arrests had been made so far.
A cordon has now been lifted after it was set up at the College Rd and Cadness St intersection on Friday night.
The aunt also disputed claims that the shooting involved gangs and lamented “an innocent 16-year-old is laying in hospital”.
Police said they received calls on Friday night from members of the public saying they heard “multiple gunshots”. Initial inquiries indicated a large number of youths were at the reserve earlier in the evening.