Shot Tribesmen leader in critical condition
The national president of the Tribesmen bikie gang has been critically injured in a shooting in Auckland. The high-ranking gang member arrived at Middlemore Hospital with at least one gunshot wound on Monday evening. It’s believed he was shot inO¯ tara while he watched a parade celebrating Samoa’s win over Tonga in the Rugby League World Cup. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. They said they were called to the hospital about 6.50pm. ‘‘The man is currently being treated and police are unable to comment further,’’ a police spokesperson said. A woman, whom Stuff has agreed not to name, said she was out shopping with her children in the centre ofO¯ tara when she heard what sounded like fireworks about 6.30pm. But when a group of about 20 patched gang members who’d been watching the parade scattered, she realised it was a shooting and hid in a supermarket with her children. A second witness who called police, who Stuff has also agreed not to name, said they were in a car nearby when they saw someone with a gun fire three shots. The woman pulled over into a car park to get out of the way before the shooter and the victim ran off behind their van. ‘‘To be honest, it felt very real. We’ve seen it on the news but never in front of our eyes. Was definitely a quiet ride back home,’’ she said. Earlier this year, the Tribesmen gang was embroiled in a turf war with the Killer Beez, a rival that was once a close ally. The conflict, which was centred in south Auckland, led to a series of drive-by shootings and arsons in the upper North Island. The two gangs reportedly reached a truce in June. However, Monday’s shooting has reignited fears among police, and theO¯ tara community, that the tensions between the two groups will boil over again. Manukau Ward Councillor Alf Filipaina said that he hoped the shooting wouldn’t ‘‘kick-off’’ more violence if it was gang related. ‘‘When is this going to end? ‘‘I just don’t want to see our community caught in between it if it is gang related,’’ he said. Filipaina said he wanted police to quickly catch the shooter and open dialogue between the Tribesmen and the offender to prevent further violence.