A Kaipara man is appearing in court today in relation to an alleged shooting in central Whangārei in the early hours of Sunday.
According to police, an armed individual stepped out of a vehicle and presented a firearm towards a group of people in the Vine St carpark just before 2am, before discharging it several times and fleeing in the vehicle.
No one was injured.
Northland Criminal Investigation Branch’s Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Crawford said inquiries led police to a South Auckland address just before 7pm yesterday.
Counties Manukau staff, including the Armed Offenders Squad, approached the property and took a man into custody.
The 24-year-old was charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and unlawful possession of a firearm.
He was due to appear in Manukau District Court today.
Police were still piecing together why the incident happened.
“Our enquiries so far lead us to believe that this was an isolated incident following a dispute,” Crawford said.
“We will not tolerate reckless violence such as this in our community, and it’s pleasing that we’ve been able to make an arrest in this case.”
Crawford appealed for witnesses to come forward.
“We are aware there were a number of people on Vine St at the time the firearm was discharged, and we would still like to speak with them as part of this investigation,” he said.
Anyone with information should contact police on 105 or go online to 105.police.govt.nz using reference number 261018/5370.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.