KEY POINTS:
A young Gisborne man is in custody after a firearms incident in the city this morning.
Police received a call from a member of the man's family reporting that he had a shotgun and ammunition and they were trying to prevent him leaving with it.
Detective Senior Sergeant Roger Gray said the incident happened about 8am and the armed offenders squad was called out.
However, the armed staff that were initially sent to set cordons ended up dealing with the matter.
"Information came through that the family were able to prevent him from getting the firearm and they (police) could see the disturbance outside the address, so they went in to help," Mr Gray said.
A 19-year-old man is in custody and was to appear in Gisborne District Court today on firearms-related charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm.
"We don't really know at this stage what he was going to use it for," Mr Gray said.
Police were also trying to work out where the man had obtained the shotgun and there was a suspicion that it had been stolen.
- NZPA
