Gisborne shooting treated as murder plus attempted suicide

A woman is dead and her husband badly injured after a shooting in a usually quiet suburban Gisborne street last night.

Neighbours heard a scream from a house in Ferguson Drive about 7.20pm and ran out to find a woman dead on her doorstep with a man slumped on top of her, but still breathing.

A firearm, believed to be a .22 rifle, was found at the address and it is understood the man had a bullet wound to the head.

The man, 44, is on life support at Gisborne Hospital with his family at his side.

His condition is described as critical. It was understood the decision to turn off life support would be made in the next few days.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott said police were treating the incident as a murder-attempted suicide.

It is believed the man, a farm manager, and his 41-year-old wife had recently separated.

The couple had two teenage children and the woman was believed to have moved to the Ferguson Drive flat last week.

Police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

There would be a scene examination today and with forensic scientists, police were reconstructing events at the property last night.

A post mortem examination of the woman was to be carried out in Auckland Hospital tomorrow.

Names were not being released until family had contacted relatives.

Neighbours in the normally quiet street were shocked by the incident.

- NZPA