Police seek gang shooting car

Wairoa police are appealing for sightings of a car used in the town's second gang-related shooting within a week.

A 48-year-old Mongrel Mob member was shot twice with a shotgun, once in the back and once in the side, as he pumped fuel into his vehicle at a service station on the main road on Friday night.

The attack appeared to be a retaliation for another shooting on Monday night, where a 17-year-old Black Power member was shot in the chest outside the Mongrel Mob headquarters.

There was a larger than normal police presence in the town last night, with officers on the lookout for any gang activity.

Police said they were yet to make any arrests in the two cases but said the were looking for a black Honda Civic used in the latest shooting.

Wairoa mayor Les Probert and local MP Chris Tremain will meet with police this week as fear of more reprisal attacks grows.

They will discuss ways of dealing with the town's gang problems which could include a ban on gang patches.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott, head of Wairoa CIB, said retaliation attacks were "a real possibility".

He said police had spoken to the latest gunshot victim, who came out of surgery yesterday and was recovering well.

It did not appear the shootings were drug-related, but it was not uncommon for tensions to flare up between the two groups.

"There's certainly no love lost between them and it's been like that for a number of years, decades probably."

Mr Probert said the latest shooting was the catalyst for the town to do something about the gangs.

"We have got these two gangs, one each side of the river and of course it doesn't matter what agreement you come to with one of them, if another drives past and fires a gun then there's retaliation."

- NZPA