Armed police called West Auckland home after reports of shooting and screaming

Armed police pounced on a house in West Auckland after reports of gunfire before a man was heard screaming.

Up to 15 police officers and several patrol cars converged on an area in Henderson Valley following reports of gunfire at a property in Murillo Place.

Police confirmed that they were called out to the street around 11:30 pm following reports of shooting.

“The armed police responded with Eagle [helicopter] and a section for dogs. The management was cordoned off and a voice appeal was held, “said a spokeswoman.

“A man came out and was detained without incident.”

Three firearms were seized from the property, police said, and a 43-year-old man faces charges that include illegal possession of a firearm.

Shots before the man hears screams

A listener who called Newstalk ZB overnight said they could see a man lying on the ground. He had been screaming for about five minutes, they said.

One man told the Herald that he had just arrived at the gate of the nearby Gull gas station shortly after midnight to see up to 10 police cars there.

Some officers armed with rifles could be seen.

“They left the Gull and then went down Border Road before walking towards the house involved.

“They told me to stay behind for my own safety, I was standing behind a tree just watching.”

The man said that around 12:50 a.m., he heard police officers yelling at a person he couldn’t see.

“They were just saying, ‘Get on the ground, get on the ground!’ You couldn’t hear anything else because the Eagle (police helicopter) was also circling.”

The witness said neighbors who had come out to see what the commotion was about told him they had heard a man scream after several “popping” sounds, believed to be gunshots, were fired at around 11:30 pm .

The man involved is expected in Waitakere District Court today.