Elderly man found dead with gunshot wound

Police are investigating after an elderly Taranaki man was found dead with a gunshot wound in his home yesterday.

The family of the 89-year-old Waitara man had not heard from him since Saturday and when they could not raise him at home late last night, they called police who entered the Waipapa Rd house and found his body.

Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward, of New Plymouth CIB, said police were investigating how the man died.

"It does appear that he does have a gunshot wound," he told the Taranaki Daily News.

Mr Coward said the man had a firearms licence and a firearm was found at the scene.

"There has been some historical reports received by Waitara police about alleged break-ins to his house prior to January this year," he said.

The newspaper said it understood the dead man had been involved in an ongoing dispute over an access way.

A team of 12 police, including fingerprint experts, are working on the case.

Police have not yet released the dead man's name.

- NZPA