Northland shooting: police shoot man who shot officer’s dog

Northland Police will release more details this afternoon about an incident in which an officer shot a man who shot a police dog this morning.

Superintendent Tony Hill will address the media at Whangārei Police Station at 3.30 pm and the press conference will be broadcast live.

Police previously confirmed that he shot a man who shot a police dog during an incident in a small Northland settlement.

They are both receiving medical attention.

Tangowahine, between Dargaville and Whāngārei in the north of the port of Kaipara, was closed this morning when police rushed to support colleagues who had confronted an armed individual.

Police said in a statement this morning that they were called at 9.17am after a member of the public called to report a suspicious person on Tangowahine Valley Road.

“Police personnel have responded to that work in an area with very limited communication. We are still working to establish exactly what has occurred.

“However, we can confirm that they shot a police dog and the police shot a man who shot the dog.

“Both are being flown separately to receive medical and veterinary assistance.

“We are in the early stages of establishing what exactly happened, but an update will be provided as soon as it is available.”

The injured man was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a Westpac rescue helicopter.

The injured dog was flown by the Northland rescue helicopter to the Veterinary Specialist Group at Unitec Auckland’s campus in Mt Albert, Auckland, according to Stuff.

Police responded strongly, with about 20 police cars seen racing down State Highway 14 from Whangarei to Tangowahine.

Police told Tangowahine School about the shooting, but there was no need to close the school, Principal Huw Wainwright said.

Wainwright said classes continued normally, although the school would use its mailing list to tell parents what was happening.

“We are not in a situation where we are upset or overreact to something that we are not fully informed of.”

Wainwright said the school was waiting for more information from police.

Ian MacDonald, a cattle and sheep farmer on Tangowahine Valley Rd, said an ambulance had passed around 10.15am.

“It’s terrible, shocking. Of course it’s a concern. I have kids myself, so you want to be safe.”

MacDonald has lived in the area all his life and said the people were farmers who quietly went about their business.

Local landowner Douglas Conn said the police rush to help his colleague was initially frustrated.

“There was a tree that flew, so they were clear about it for the police to go through.”

He said locals were largely in the dark about what had happened, although they had pinpointed the location of the incident. Knowing where it had happened hadn’t shed light on what might have happened, he said.

“Everyone is a little overwhelmed and you are always worried and you think if there are others involved, if it happened on my property, the circumstances of what happened.”

A Dargaville-based company that drives golf carts converted to derailed Kiwi Rail tracks was forced to cancel today’s only trip due to the shooting.

Port Dargaville Rail and River Director John Hansen said a customer called him and told him about the incident at Tangowahine Valley Rd and then decided to cancel the trip.

“The lack of information from the police is not very helpful. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow,” he said.

The journey is 14.5 km each way and takes passengers through dairy farms, under elevated bridges, and along the Northern Wairoa River, with the car stopping at Tangowahine Valley Rd for refreshments before returning. to Dargaville.

Hansen said the shooting was “one more thing” in a difficult year for his business.

Tiny rail vehicles have stunned commuters along State Highway 14 since Port Dargaville Rail and River began operating them on December 12, 2015 between Dargaville and Tangowahine.

Shooting incidents

The incident follows a series of shooting incidents in the Far North and the wider Northland region in the past two months.

In late October, a lone policewoman making a routine stop was shot near the Puketona junction on State Highway 1.

The incident involved two men, who have yet to be found, getting out of their car and pointing guns at the officer, who was able to leave.

However, that was not before a shot was fired at his vehicle; breaking the windshield.

Hours before the officer was shot, police were alerted to a situation hours earlier when a man who had been kidnapped near Waipapa raised the alarm.

That was also a firearms-related incident and resulted in the victim’s car, a gray 2010 Nissan Skyline, being set on fire on Puketōtara Rd near Ōkaihau.

Less than a week later, in the first week of November, two men were shot and injured while sitting in a car on the side of a road in Northland.

Police were quick to dismiss any connection to the earlier shooting that involved the police officer and said it was not a random attack.