Police cordon off a house on Billington Ave, Otara. Photo / Dean Purcell
A man has life-threatening injuries after a possible shooting in Ōtara.
Counties Manukau CIB Detective Inspector Tofilau Faa Va'aelua said police received a report of a possible shooting on Billington Ave, Otara, just after 3pm.
Police arrived at the scene minutes later where a male was located at an address with a serious leg wound.
He has been transported to hospital in a critical condition.
Initial enquiries are underway to establish what has taken place.
Police cordons are being set up on Billington Ave and are expected to remain in place this evening while a scene examination is carried out.
A woman who lives about four doors down from where the possible shooting occurred said she wanted to move out of the area. She would ask Housing NZ for a transfer.
"We're not safe here," she said.
The woman's teenage daughters said they believed gang members lived at the house.
"The police have been coming there once a week," one of the teens said.
"You hear it every night ... arguments."
A neighbour who didn't want to be identified said he shipped his kids out of the area for school because he didn't want them associating with the kids in the area.
He said the property was known for having brawls on the front lawn.
He said there was an ongoing dispute between the Maori/Tongan family of six who lived at the property and the neighbors who occupied a housing NZ property next door.
He said, the neighboring family vacated the housing NZ property within the last week.
Another neighbour said he felt safe, as he had grown up in the area, but he had made the decision to send his children to schools outside Otara.
"For us (the shooting) is nothing new, but we changed our kids' lifestyle and took them out for school. There's nothing wrong with the schools here, it's just the lifestyle the kids are running in.
"We're just trying to give them the best options we can."
The man's daughter planned to attend Victoria University next year, and the family was filling out forms for a Welcome Home loan, using their KiwiSaver, in a bid to soon buy their first home outside Otara, he said.
The man said residents of the property where the shooting took place were affiliated with both the Killer Beez and Black Power.
There were often fights, he said.
"Lots of people come there. They have parties and sometimes people just turn up there and make a ruckus."
Other neighbours were unconcerned by the shooting.
One said he had lived in the area all his life and the shooting caused him no unease.
"It's got nothing to do with us. We're safe."
A police cordon remains around the house and two neighbours properties at the end of the cul-de-sac.
All those earlier watching from their door steps had retreated inside as steady rain set in on darkness.
Police urged anyone with information about this incident to contact Counties
Manukau Police on 09 261 1321 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The incident is the latest round of violence to hit South Auckland.
A spate of shootings in the area has rocked the community in recent months, sparking calls for police to crackdown on rising gang tensions.
OTARA SHOOTINGS:
On July 26, a 16-year-old boy was taken to hospital in a critical condition after a shooting on Featherston Cres, Otara. A 34-year-old man has been arrested and charged with wounding.
On July 6, a woman suffered serious injuries after being shot at a property on Dawson Rd, Clover Park. Two young men, aged 17 and 20, were charged with wounding.
On May 17, Joseph Siaosi, 23, was fatally shot by an occupant of a car as he walked away from a confrontation. Siaosi died on the lawn in front of the family home in Piako St, Ōtara. Tamati Kas Simpson, 21, and Montana Manu, 22, have been charged with his murder.
On April 26, the president of the Killer Beez gang, Josh Masters, was shot at a Harley Davidson store in Mt Wellington. Masters was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged with attempted murder in relation to the shooting.
On April 20, Siaosi Tulua, 39, was shot dead at his home on Darnell Cres, in Clover Park. A 22-year-old has been charged with his murder. His death came two weeks after a resident in the Palermo Pl area of Clover Park had to take cover when a man carrying a firearm walked up the street firing shots.
On March 13, Arthur (Afa) Brown, 26, was fatally shot outside a group of shops on Vine St in Māngere just before 1am. A 20-year-old male has pleaded not guilty to murder.
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