KEY POINTS:
Residents of a bush-lined Lower Hutt suburb heard three shots that ended Graeme Burton's four terror-filled days on the run.
Burton, 35, was shot in the leg by police on the corner of Farrelly Grove and Summit Road in Fairfield, a few metres from the end of the Hutt Valley hills firebreak along which one man was left dead and a father and daughter were wounded yesterday.
The scene was still cordoned off today as police carried out forensic investigations.
One resident, who declined to be named, said he saw a policeman in a flak jacket run up the hill about 6pm last night and shout out a warning, "Put your weapons down".
Then he heard three shots in quick succession, but could not say if they sounded like they came from the same gun.
"They sounded like sticks breaking," his wife said.
The couple could not see what was happening from their house, because of the trees in the area, but the shooting scene was about 60 metres away.
Neighbour Margaret Naylor also heard the three shots and said each sounded the same.
"I was working on the computer upstairs and heard the three shots go off. All of a sudden all the (police) cars were coming up the road in a hurry," Mrs Naylor said.
"It was a bit scary, and the next thing we were surrounded by the armed offenders squad, police dogs and ambulances."
Although she heard no warning from the police to stay indoors, she knew what was going on and thought it unsafe to venture out.
"I had been around the Valley during the day and seen lots of armed offenders police on the streets, so I knew he (Burton) was close by," Mrs Naylor said.
"When I heard the shots I couldn't work out where the sound came from, but when I saw all the cars I knew they had him cornered."
Burton is believed to be familiar with the area, having been brought up in Lower Hutt and educated at Naenae College.
- NZPA
