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The shot was reportedly heard on Christmas Rd in Auckland’s Manurewa. Photo / Google
Armed police are responding to reports of a firearms incident in South Auckland.
Police say they received a report that someone in Manurewa had fired a gun.
The shot was reportedly heard on Christmas Rd.
A witness at the scene said a residential property had been cordoned off and three police cars were parked outside.
He said there were no cars in the driveway.
Police say they have no knowledge of anyone injured, but officers remain at the scene making inquiries.
The Eagle Police helicopter has been flying over the suburb for at least the last hour.
“We are talking to people in the area and investigations are ongoing,” a police spokeswoman said.
The incident follows a series of shootings in Ōtara last month involving rival gangs, the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen in south Auckland, with at least five gang-related shootings in two days.
Armed police were brought into the suburb to counter the outbreak, before the two gangs reached an apparent truce to stem the bloodshed last week.
The Weekend Herald revealed last week that 350 people had been shot across the city in the past five years as authorities battle worsening gun violence.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has called on police to increase the number of front-line officers and crack down on “lucrative” drug trafficking and organized crime.
He met this week with Deputy Police Commissioner John Tims to share his concerns about the growing number of shootings.
Police Minister Poto Williams confirmed that she was also informed about the level of firearm crime in Auckland. She is urging Auckland residents to remain calm and “watch out for each other” as police work to quell the bloodshed.
– More to come