'I dragged him inside and locked the house up'

File photo / Hawke's Bay Today

A shot man managed to escape to the doorstep of a stranger, who tended to the heavily bleeding man despite having children inside his Tauranga home.

A bullet was protruding from the thigh of the shot man when he showed up at the home where a 28-year-old man, his girlfriend and three children had been sleeping at 11pm on Sunday.

He was woken by a knock at the door of his Courtney Rd home and when he opened it found the victim, who was the same age as him, lying on his doorstep.

"He was just trying to get away from them (the shooter), I think he saw the closest house and came down," he said.

"He just needed help really, he'd been shot in the leg."

He said the bullet had not exited the man's leg but, "was poking out like it wanted to."

The homeowner called an ambulance who alerted police.

Despite advice not to, the man took the victim inside his home and followed the advice of the St John call taker to administer basic first aid.

"I dragged him inside and locked the house up," he said.

The man said armed police surrounded his home, and ordered him to stay inside, ensuring the area was safe for ambulance staff to enter.

"It was like something off the movies really," he said.

The man said ambulance staff arrived at the house to treat the injured man and took him to hospital.

The man said the victim apologised numerous times for turning up on his doorstep late at night but "would not say a word" about who shot him or why.

The shooting is believed to have happened at a nearby industrial building that was being used as a private residence.

Acting head of Tauranga CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Liam Clinton said the motive for the shooting, was still being investigated.

Police had taken the bullet that was surgically removed from the man's leg and understand the victim had gone to an address on Courtney Rd but the person he wanted to visit was not home.

The victim and offender are not believed to be known to each other.

The resident said the man did not appear to have been drinking or under the influence of drugs, saying he just looked like an average guy.

"He was just in pain, he was pretty straight," he said.

The man's three children did not wake up during the incident and he and his girlfriend had not been emotionally affected.

"It's just a random thing to happen,' he said.

A 23-year-old musician appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday, facing serious firearm and assault charges.

Rikki-Lee Grimstrup-Corbett was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, namely a sawn-off .22 calibre rifle, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Police did not oppose bail for Grimstrup-Corbett but sought a number of bail conditions.

Community Magistrate Robyn Paterson remanded Grimstrup-Corbett on bail without pleas to live at an Ohauiti address subject to a number of conditions.

They included a nightly curfew, non-association with the complainant, and a ban on the consumption of alcohol and non-prescribed drugs.

He is due back in court on September 15.

- Additional reporting Sandra Conchie
For more Bay of Plenty news go to www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz