Police have apprehended nine people after a shot was fired near a popular nightclub in Ahuriri, Napier on Sunday morning.
A police spokesman said nobody was injured when a shot was fired after the alleged shooter got out of a car on West Quay about 3.20am.
The spokesman said the shot was not fired inside the Thirsty Whale nightclub and was not directed at the nightclub.
The alleged offender then left in a vehicle with several other occupants.
The spokesman said 10 minutes later, police found the suspect vehicle parked alongside another vehicle on Gloucester Street in Taradale.
Nine occupants surrendered without incident following a voice appeal from police. They ranged in age from 15 to 22. Officers then found a .22-calibre firearm a short distance away.
Inquiries are ongoing and charges are likely, the police spokesman said.
In 2021, three people were shot in a drive-by gang shooting of the club.
Two Mongrel Mob members were sent to prison for five years and 11 months.
Temihana Hetaraka Hare George Henare, 24, a Mongrel Mob Hawke’s Bay chapter member, fired eight shots from a semi-automatic .22-calibre rifle during the fight. Mongrel Mob Aotearoa member Waka Selwyn Tither, 27, fired twice.
Injured in the shooting were two Raupunga men said to be members of the “Manga Kaha” patch of rivals Black Power and a security guard at the bar.
A 19-year-old woman inside the club suffered headaches for days after another shot passed through her hair. Judge Barbara Morris said at the sentencing the woman had come literally within a hair’s breadth of being hit in the head.
The event, and the emergency that interrupted it, underline the service's importance.