Brownlee unaware of police shooting outside Singapore hotel

Gerry Brownlee is among international delegates attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in central Singapore. Photo / NZME.

New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee was unaware the Singapore hotel he was inside for an Asia-Pacific security summit was put in lockdown after a fatal police shooting on its doorstep yesterday.

Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel was placed in lockdown after police fatally shot a man in an apparent drug-related incident outside.

Mr Brownlee is among international delegates, including US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter, attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in central Singapore.

Police opened fire on one vehicle shortly after 8am when it accelerated away from officers and crashed through barricades set up as extra security around the hotel.

There were three men in the car, and one man was killed and two others detained, according to police. They said substances believed to be drugs were found on one of the men.

Despite the hotel lockdown, Mr Brownlee and his staff were unaware of the commotion, a spokesman from his office said.

"Our team from the NZ High Commission came to meet us at the hotel for breakfast and noted a larger police presence than when they arrived the previous morning, but they were unaware any incident had occurred."

More security had been set up at the hotel as a result of the incident.