An unsuspecting tradie who escaped being killed by millimetres believes “someone was looking out for him” after the ute he was sitting in was hit by gunfire in the latest Auckland suburban shooting.
The man, a grandfather, told a neighbour he was using his cellphone in the dark when he and his vehicle parked in a quiet Beach Haven dead-end street suddenly came under attack.
A police investigation is under way after a vehicle and home in Beach Haven were sprayed by bullets in an early-morning incident.
Rambler Cres residents were awoken by multiple loud gunshots and screeching tyres around 6.30am.
Resident Paul Ellis told the Herald he heard six to eight very distinct popping sounds.
He estimated the pair were in their early to mid-teens.
“They seemed like they wanted to get out of there pretty quickly,” he said.
“They didn’t look like they were carrying anything that could impede them, but there was something small in their hands.”
Hours after the early morning attack forensic teams could be seen combing the grass in front of the Beach Haven Scout Hall across the road from the parked ute.
Ellis said the neighbours were in shock after what happened.
“Kids go to Tui Park all the time. My kids play in Tui Park all the time. The people here really love Beach Haven,” he said.