Auckland school students' brawl: Woman charged with carrying imitation firearm

A woman is facing charges after an imitation firearm was pointed at a girl's head during a fight involving Auckland school students.

A video shows a woman brandished the alleged starter pistol during a fight between Ōtāhuhu College students at Sturges Park last week.

Police say a 20-year-old woman has been charged with threatening to cause grievous bodily harm and carrying an imitation firearm with criminal intent and will appear in Manukau District Court.

Disciplinary action is being taken against students involved in the fight, Ōtāhuhu College told the Herald, and security measures have ramped up at the school.

Police confirmed the incident allegedly involved a starter pistol which has been handed into police.

"The incident occurred last Thursday after school hours, was not on school property and the person arrested is not a student of the school," said Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Gollan of Counties Manukau CIB.

"Police responded at the time to the incident and have been conducting follow-up inquiries."

Ōtāhuhu College principal Neil Watson said the school increased security on Friday morning in response to the fight.

"It is with great sadness that the increase in gun violence has impacted on Ōtāhuhu College," he said in a statement.

"The college immediately co-operated with the police and agreed to appropriate safety measures for our staff and students.

"This included increasing Ōtāhuhu College security as well as extra police community patrols from Friday morning.

"Disciplinary measures are being put in place for the students involved and they will not be attending currently."

Police are making inquiries following the violent incident in Ōtāhuhu last Thursday. Photo / Supplied

The violent brawl was filmed and shared on social media, police said.

"You touch my sister again, touch her, touch her," a woman with the imitation gun can be heard yelling in the video.

She then walks over to a woman in the green jumper and presses the gun to her head.

"Get the f*** out of here right now," the woman yells while still holding the gun.

A woman who was walking her five and seven-year-old boys home from school at the time of the brawl, said she heard gunshots.

The local resident, who the Herald agreed not to name, said it was "quite frightening".

"We were just walking down the bottom of the hill near Sturges Park.

"We heard fighting so I stopped and listened, then I heard gunshots and I quickly grabbed my kids and we walked very, very fast.

"It sounded real from where we were."

She said she's lived in Ōtāhuhu for 14 years.

"We love it here, and it's so sad that this kind of stuff is happening here."

'She needs to be held accountable'

Earlier this morning Manukau ward councillor and former police officer Alf Filipaina said the person with the firearm "deserves" to be held accountable.

"Whoever she is ... she needs to be held accountable, definitely held accountable, whether it was fake or not."

But he said that "doesn't diminish" the threatening behaviour that was on display.

"Whether [the weapon is] real or not, the fact that she decided to do it that way, and she decided to pull it out of her pocket ... that is concerning," he told the Herald.

"She ended up trying to be the gangster girl by doing what she did."

He said the behaviour looked like something out of a movie, and he believed it was a "one-off" incident.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the incident is "of real concern" and the community should avoid becoming like the United States, where guns are "commonplace".

"It strengthens the argument for more effective controls so that firearms do not get into the hands of people who are not registered to own them.

"It also requires a determination by our whole community to avoid becoming a society in which the use of guns is commonplace, such as the United States."

The Herald understands the incident took place at Sturges Park. Photo / NZME

Secondary Principals' Association president Vaughan Couillault said in his 20-year career he had "never seen a firearm anywhere near a school kid".

He said the incident was "abhorrent" and "quite extraordinary for all the wrong reasons".

"It's alarming at best, and incredibly inflammatory and incredibly dangerous. Think of the damage it's doing to everyone who witnessed it, particularly the young person with an [imitation] gun at their head.

"I'm really concerned for both people on either side of that because all of their decision making was wrong."

Couillault said any issues involving firearms among young people or school students in the community "hasn't been something on our radar".

"We've all, as a country, been concerned about increased firearms-related incidents with grown-ups in the community.

"Certainly it comes as a real shock that such behaviour is happening around teenagers. We are all hoping this is an extremely isolated incident and doesn't repeat itself."

As principal of nearby Papatoetoe High School, he said there will be students in the community who will be concerned, anxious and needing support following the incident.

"The thing about our community is everybody knows everybody.

"I am sure a combination of councillors, deans, police community support services, community leaders will be addressing this in whatever way they can."

Papatoetoe High School principal and SPANZ President Vaughan Couillault. Photo / Dean Purcell

Filipaina is calling on Ōtāhuhu College to address the incident with students, otherwise rumours will "go rife".

"That's why it's good for the school to have sessions with the students to say 'hey look, let's talk about this' and that way it stops all the rumours.

"You put the rumours to rest."

Couillault said it may be hard for schools to facilitate assembly time, but the issue could be discussed if students engage in support services and pastoral care.

"It's particularly disturbing for all of us as a nation, not just the people in south Auckland."

It is an offence under the Arms Act to possess or use an imitation firearm without a lawful, proper and sufficient purpose, the New Zealand Police website said.

"Blank-firing imitation firearms can be considered 'firearms' under law, especially if modified.

"Toy guns are not covered by the Arms Act but many look like real guns from a distance. Police are regularly called by members of the public who are concerned about people pointing guns which turn out to be toys."

The Herald was sent the video by a parent from the school, who was concerned about her children's safety after seeing the incident.

"My child's safety is definitely at risk. At school, as an Ōtāhuhu student in public. I am pulling my child out of this college."

Police said they are continuing to work closely with the school involved.

Disciplinary measures are being put in place for the Ōtāhuhu College students involved. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

The Ministry of Education said it has offered support to the school.

"All students deserve to feel safe at school and this is a priority for every Board of Trustees. We are always available to provide guidance and advice to schools whenever needed.

"We don't maintain cumulative records about such incidences, but such incidences are infrequent."

Auckland shootings

The incident comes after a spate of shootings across Auckland this month.

An 18-year-old has denied injuring three people - including radio host Jay Jay Feeney's brother Poull Andersen - with an alleged homemade firearm on Fort St in central Auckland.

A week later six people received injuries during a gunfight on Sandringham Rd Extension, allegedly involving a group of young people.

On Thursday, another six people were injured in a night-time attack at a Glen Innes home.

No arrests have been made in relation to the shooting, but police have arrested a 21-year-old man allegedly in possession of a large quantity of cannabis.

"This man was seen fleeing the Heatherbank St property by the police helicopter, Eagle, before staff approached the address," police said.