Neighbour tells of ‘7 to 9 gunshots’
A woman has described a terrifying ordeal after several gunshots rang out near her house in the early hours of yesterday.
Police have begun investigating after shots were reportedly fired at a house in the suburb of Clendon Park, near Manurewa and Weymouth, in South Auckland.
The incident happened shortly before 4.30am and involved a house on Palmers Rd, police said.
A resident nearby told the Herald she was still in shock several hours later. “I’m still shaken up from what happened. All I heard [was] what sounded like seven to nine gunshots around 4.20 this morning.
“I then heard the helicopter, which was swooping over us in Weymouth.”
The woman was already awake when she heard the noise, but was initially confused about what it was.
“When I heard the gunshots I thought it may just be youngsters letting off fireworks at that time in the morning. But once I heard the helicopter, I got a feeling that it was more than just fireworks,” she said.
“I was scared . . . fight or flight kicked in for me. The shots were so clear to hear and so loud.”
The woman said she was worried for her family’s safety and quickly called relatives in the area to keep safe and to stay inside.
A police spokesman said: “[About] 4.20am, shots were reportedly fired at an address in Palmers Rd by offenders who left . . . in a vehicle.”
The house was occupied at the time and police have since spoken to and offered them support. “Fortunately, no one was injured.” Authorities are now appealing to anyone with information to contact Counties Manukau Police on (09) 261 1321 or CrimeStoppers anonymous on 0800 555 111.
Police say that about the same time in the nearby Wattle Downs neighbourhood fire services were called to a vehicle on fire.
Police said that at this stage there is no evidence to show the two incidents are linked.
Last week, authorities were sent to a house on Favona Rd, near Māngere in South Auckland, after locals reported hearing gunshots being fired.
Police confirmed that on arrival, officers found several items including an empty shotgun cartridge.
A few hours later, emergency services and police were called to an incident in Penrose and Ellerslie, central Auckland, after initial reports that a man had stolen a vehicle from Church St. When approached by police officers, the man pointed a gun at the heads of two members of the public before police shot him, seriously injuring him.
That incident came after a man was shot and killed by police in Hamilton during an armed stand-off the night before that.