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A family of four have been forced to flee their house after being caught in a street shooting between rival groups.
Police moved the family from the Manukau house yesterday after gunshots were fired into it at 11.50pm on Sunday.
Otara CIB head Detective Sergeant Shaun Vickers said police did not yet know if street gangs were involved.
But one witness was certain the shooting was a clash between two youth gangs.
Members of police armed offenders squads are conducting searches in the Manurewa and Papakura areas as they work to identify the groups involved.
Neighbours spoken to yesterday said they were worried about the safety of their young children.
There have been 11 street gang-related killings in the Auckland region since Labour Weekend in 2005.
New Manukau Mayor Len Brown last night told the Herald he would be calling an urgent meeting this week with police chiefs to discuss the shooting and street gangs.
"The first thing I will do is call [Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent] Steve Shortland, and he and I will get to the bottom of the incident.
"I'll be impressing my view and my expectation to get rid of gang behaviour and this sort of activity from our streets," he said.
The incident began when a red or maroon Nissan Pulsar hatchback pulled up near the Clendon Skate Park and the occupants fired shots into the air.
Mr Vickers said the car was driven off along Palmers Rd and on to Mahia Rd.
"Witnesses saw occupants of that same vehicle firing what they believe was a firearm or shotgun at a person who was running. We don't know the exact numbers of shots, but it was more than two."
The person seen running - who police have not identified - ran through the family's Mahia Rd property to escape but was shot at again.
The shots smashed two lounge windows and damaged the home's brick cladding as the family slept inside.
"Fortunately there's been no injuries to any of them," Mr Vickers said.
Police did not believe the family knew those involved in the shooting.
"It looks like the person's been running along the road being fired at, and just decided to run into that property. At this stage, it looks like they're completely innocent.
"From witness accounts, I think we're very lucky no one's been killed. If someone had been sitting by the window or standing there, they probably would have received injuries."
The family did not want to talk of their ordeal, but terrified neighbours told how they ducked for cover after a series of shots.
They said they heard up to six shots and people shouting and swearing before a car sped away.
Neighbour Taupua Pi arrived home soon after the incident and found her family huddled inside.
"They told me they heard gunshots and yelling. They were crawling around on the floor because they were scared of getting shot."
Mrs Pi said her daughter and young children peered out the windows and saw a group of men.
She said the family who lived in the house were "really good, nice people".
"We get on well with them ... no arguments. They're nice boys."
Another resident said the incident was definitely gang violence.
"It'll be Bloods and Crips. I saw them walk up to the house, yelling and swearing. They were calling them out," he said.
"Then there was a series of shots. I never saw the gun, but I heard the shots."
The witness said he'd heard that a gang calling itself RAs could be involved.
Another neighbour, who wouldn't be named, heard loud bangs.
"We knew it was guns, and we were too scared to look outside."
Yesterday's shooting was the first she could recall, but the area had been plagued with drunken teenage parties that occasionally erupted into violence.
Asosa Filia recently moved to the street with his young family, and was shocked by the violence.
"There were two lots of gunshots. The first, and then about 20 seconds later some more, one after the other."
Another neighbour said fights broke out "all the time" in the area, but she thought it had calmed down after a family recently moved away.
"It's not nice when something like this happens," she said.
Mr Brown said he wanted only people with licensed guns in the city, not youth gangs "firing them off ... there's no place here for it".
Getting rid of the scourge of youth gangs would be one of the biggest challenges of his mayoralty.
* Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the Mahia Rd area at the time. Call Detective Sergeant Shaun Vickers on (09) 272- 0900.
