Update on Police shooting in Rodney
"Update on Police shooting in Rodney"
Early this morning, police were called to an address in Onehunga after a member of the public reported that a man known to her had been acting erratically and she had left the address as she feared for her safety.
Police were dispatched to the address at around 3.10am, however there were no people or vehicles at the address when we arrived.
Around
20 minutes later a rural Police officer was heading home
after his shift when he noticed a car parked on State
Highway 1 near Topuni with its hazard lights on.
The
officer pulled in behind the car to see if the driver needed
assistance, however the car quickly drove off.
The
police car followed and the car then stopped again.
The
officer was about to get out of his vehicle when the driver
of the car got out and came around to the driver’s door of
the police car, wielding a machete and threatening the
officer.
The officer quickly retreated and called
for backup and watched the offender from a safe distance,
however the offender then got back into his car and headed
south on SH1 towards Puhoi.
Additional police
resource was called in, including our Eagle helicopter,
which was able to monitor the situation from above.
It is
believed the offending car was driving at speeds of up to
150km an hour, at times with its lights off.
The car
was successfully spiked on SH1 near Mahurangi West Road at
around 3.50am.
The first officers got out of their
patrol car and the driver from the other car came towards
them with a machete.
It is at this point that Police
fired shots.
The officers immediately administered
first aid and called for an ambulance, however the man died
at the scene from his injuries.
The man is a 29-year-old from East Auckland, however we will not be releasing his name until formal identification has taken place and next of kin have been notified.
Waitemata District Commander Superintendent Tusha Penny says this is a tragic outcome and our sympathies are with the deceased man’s family.
“We have ensured that Victim Support is available to them and we will support them through this process.”
“We are also ensuring
that the staff involved are being supported.
No Police
officer comes to work wanting to end up in a situation like
this.
Their welfare is paramount and we have steps in place to make sure they are looked after,” says Superintendent Penny.
“Every day Police staff deal
with situations that are complex, dynamic and fast
changing.
Our staff have to make split second decisions, in situations where there is risk to their lives and members of the public,” says Superintendent Penny.
As is
standard practice, Police have launched two investigations
into the shooting and we have also notified the Independent
Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).
The matter has also been
referred to the Coroner.
The scene examination is
still under way and we thank the public for their patience
in this matter.
We expect the scene examination to be completed by approximately 3pm and the road reopened.
In the interim, SH1 remains closed between Orewa and
Warkworth and diversions are in place via State Highway 16.
ENDS