A witness of a shooting and burglary at a West Auckland petrol station this morning has been left shaken - and recalls hearing yells to “get down” amid the frenzy.
Police confirmed a man was later shot at the Henderson police station after he got out of a vehicle holding a gun following a wild chase where he opened fire on officers.
He was challenged by armed police and was shot.
Police say a man attempted a robbery at Henderson Valley petrol station shortly after 10am.
An eyewitness of the initial incident at the service station said “it was scary”.
The woman, working near the service station, said she saw a dark-coloured car come around the roundabout and enter the service station.
”I was like, like, he’s just going in and then out of nowhere, everyone was running and yelling, like, ‘get down’, ‘get down’,” she told the Herald.
“I jumped in my van and hid down. A co-worker had to pull over because they were shooting in the street.
”I’m still shaking.”
The eye witness said there were already armed officers at the scene when the car came to the petrol station.
She said she heard the sound of faint gunshots.
The person then left the scene, chased by police.
Police responded immediately and tracked the vehicle of interest.
The man fired shots at police on multiple occasions, Superintendent Naila Hassan, Waitematā District Commander, said.
Video provided to the Herald shows a police car blasted by a shotgun.
The man has continued to be tracked travelling through the area, Hassan said.
Police said the man then drove to the Henderson Police Station, where he exited his vehicle holding a firearm and was challenged by armed police staff.
“The man has not engaged with our staff and has been shot,” Hassan said.
“First aid is currently being provided to this man. Police are advising the public to stay away from the area.
Nearby resident James Barren told the Herald tensions remained high in Henderson Valley.
“The people in the store were extremely frightened. They locked the door and they hid away,” Barren said.
“Tensions are extremely high here. People are really concerned about what’s going on.
Barren said he had attempted to get closer to the scene but was turned away by police.
“Police are very aggravated in their approach. They’re not giving us any reassurances, no information - just ‘get out, who are you, what are you doing here, where have you come from?’”, Barren said.
“I went around the back and tried to sneak into the cordon. I saw ambulances, lots of police cars - but they’re trying to make it hard to see anything.”
Police officers have cordoned off streets in Henderson while they interview members of the public. Some buses have been diverted as a result.
A motorist who was travelling through Henderson said she saw a police car hit by the shotgun pellets.
“I asked a police officer is that from now and he said, ‘yes they were shooting at us but we’ve got him now’.”
The woman said it was at the roundabout at Alderman Dr, Henderson.
She said there were at least 15 police cars in the area.
The wail of sirens were continuing to ring out, with many roads blocked in the suburb.
Organisers of the hīkoi mō te Tiriti promoted a switch from the general roll.