Shot fired on Napier nightclub street: Five charged after nine people apprehended

Five people have been charged after a shot was fired near a popular nightclub on West Quay, Ahuriri on Sunday morning.

On Sunday evening, police said four of the nine people initially taken into custody had been released without charge.

The other five have been charged jointly with reckless discharge of a firearm, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

They are due to appear in court on September 26.

A police spokesman said no one was injured when a shot was fired after the alleged shooter got out of a car on West Quay about 3.20am.

The spokesman said the shot was not fired inside the Thirsty Whale nightclub and was not directed at the nightclub.

The alleged offender then left in a vehicle with several other occupants.

West Quay in Ahuriri is a popular nightlife precinct next to Napier's inner harbour.

The spokesman said 10 minutes later, police found a suspect vehicle parked alongside another vehicle on Gloucester St in Taradale.

Nine occupants surrendered without incident following a voice appeal from police. They ranged in age from 15 to 22. Officers then found a .22-calibre firearm a short distance away.

In 2021, three people were shot in a drive-by gang shooting at the Thirsty Whale club, which had hundreds of people inside at the time.

Two Mongrel Mob members were sent to prison for five years and 11 months.

Temihana Hetaraka Hare George Henare, 24, a Mongrel Mob Hawke’s Bay chapter member, fired eight shots from a semi-automatic .22-calibre rifle during the fight. Mongrel Mob Aotearoa member Waka Selwyn Tither, 27, fired twice.

Injured in the shooting were two Raupunga men said to be members of the “Manga Kaha” patch of rivals Black Power and a security guard at the bar.

A 19-year-old woman inside the club suffered headaches for days after another shot passed through her hair. Judge Barbara Morris said at the sentencing the woman had come literally within a hair’s breadth of being hit in the head.