Armed alert called off after body found beside ute

Armed offenders squad members prepare to move towards the crashed ute at Waianakarua on State Highway 1. Picture / Otago Daily Times

Police are not looking for anyone else after a man was found dead by a crashed ute with a gun beside him yesterday.

The ute careered off the road on to farmland near the rural community of Waianakarua, 27km southwest of Oamaru, around 11am after being reported missing from Ashburton earlier in the day.

The incident sparked a major police operation after a member of the public reported seeing a man with a firearm at the scene.

The armed offenders squad was called out and State Highway 1 was closed while the scene was secured.

Residents were told by police to stay indoors as armed officers combed the area on foot and helicopters hovered overhead.

The squad was stood down after the man's body was found with a gun beside it.

Detective Sergeant Mike Ryder said the ute had been reported missing, but not stolen, from the Ashburton area at 3am yesterday.

Police had not formally identified the man but were confident they knew who he was.

"An investigation team is now working to piece together what has actually occurred, and police are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident," Mr Ryder said.

A post-mortem would be held today to determine the cause of the man's death.

Early examination of the scene suggested the man had died as a result of the crash.

Police believed he had been dead for quite some time before he was found, Mr Ryder said.

SH1 was reopened to traffic mid-afternoon.

- NZPA