Tangowahine shooting: pistols drawn as police confront man who shot police dog

It was all over in less than a minute. In that minute, the rural silence of Northland’s Tangowahine was shattered by gunfire.

When the echoes faded, a police dog fell after being shot in the head and a wanted man was thrown in a meadow.

The shooting saw police and the wanted man confront each other with guns in a flat, open meadow. There was nowhere to run and no one was hiding.

It developed from a call to the police at 9.17am. The caller described seeing someone he considered a “suspect” on Tangowahine Valley Road, off State Highway 14 between Dargaville and Whangārei.

Around the same time, Northland Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said, an off-duty police officer called his colleagues to report that they had seen the same man, someone they knew was wanted on cannabis charges. and firearms.

The calls saw two “units” of police prepare to make the 15-minute trip to check the trail. “They were armed just as a precaution,” Hill said.

When officers arrived, they saw a man who matched the description of the person they were looking for. He was standing next to a vehicle, saw the police, turned around, and ran across the meadow.

“A dog handler and another staff member have been chasing this male,” Hill said. “He has fled to a meadow.”

Officers entered the meadow moments before the man turned to the dog and fired.

Hill described the weapon used by the wanted man as a large-caliber pistol. The injury the dog is believed to have received suggests that it was in front of the man and was probably in close pursuit.

“Our personnel have responded simultaneously to the fire. The male was shot three times during this.”

Subsequently, one of the policemen stayed with the wounded man, doing everything possible to help with the injuries to his arm and leg. It is not clear where the third bullet hit.

The dog handler picked up his injured dog and ran for help, and a veterinary clinic in Dargaville advised him to prepare for urgent surgery.

Ultimately, the surgery the dog needed was carried out in Auckland. Separate rescue helicopters took the shot man and the police dog to Auckland, where they were both stable last night.

Hill said it was the fourth time police had been shot in three months. He said the officers were “shocked by today’s events.”

“This was a terrifying incident and the police are providing all available support to the officer involved, as well as the other police officers present at the scene.”

Hill was reluctant to release many details of the incident, as it was now under investigation, as was normal practice after a shooting involving police.

Hill did not reveal the ranks or names of the officers involved in the shooting. He also did not reveal details about the injuries or where the suspect was shot.

Police were also speaking with the family of the man who was shot, Hill said.

About 20 police cars were seen racing down SH14 from Whāngarei shortly after the police involved in the shooting began broadcasting details.

Donald Harrison’s property is right across the meadow where the shooting took place and he was in his kennel shed when he heard three shots.

“My horses galloped across the paddock and started breaking through the fences. They panicked,” he said.

Local landowner Douglas Conn said the police urge to help his colleagues was initially thwarted.

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

Ian MacDonald, a cattle and sheep farmer on Tangowahine Valley Road, saw an ambulance pass around 10.15am. “It’s terrible, shocking. Of course, it’s a concern. I have kids myself, so you want to be safe.”

Tangowahine School principal Huw Wainwright said police reported it early and classes continued normally. He said the school used its mailing list to tell parents what was happening.

A Dargaville-based company that operates golf carts converted to derailed Kiwi Rail tracks canceled yesterday’s only trip due to the shooting.

Port Dargaville Rail and River Director John Hansen said the 18-mile round trip was interrupted for a snack on Tangowahine Valley Road before returning to Dargaville.

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