Neighbours of a house at the centre of a gang-related shooting in Whangarei say they're tired of constant violence in their area.
Five people had surgery for gunshot wounds after violence broke out on Clark Rd in Kamo around 10:30pm on Wednesday.
A 21-year-old man has been arrested on Thursday, police say.
A Clark Rd resident says the whole area's on edge.
"Whangarei's just more just gang territory at the moment, and gangs aren't getting along," he said.
The five have links to gangs, police have confirmed.
- Three men aged 21, 24 and 33 are in Whangarei Hospital in a stable condition
- A 33-year-old man is expected to be discharged on Thursday afternoon
- The fifth person was flown to Auckland Hospital in a serious condition
- At hospital they are under police guard
The fight involved rival gangs including the Nomads, a police source told Newshub.
"From the time police were alerted to this incident there has been an increased police presence in Kamo and at Whangarei Hospital," Inspector Justin Rogers said.
"We acknowledge that incidents like this are alarming to the community, however we are confident that this was not a random incident.
A neighbour says her partner heard someone calling out for help on Wednesday night. Neighbours told Newshub they heard yelling and swearing, and they want the people who live in there to move out.
"Residents come and go all through the night… Gang-related for sure, they're just hoons really, doing doughnuts and disturbing the peace," neighbour Miroslav Granich said.
Police have cordoned off a house and neighbouring driveway at 53 Clark Rd.
A neighbour told Newshub she was driving her daughter to school along Clark Rd, and saw the emergency tape around the house, with three police cars outside.
"It is quite frightening to think that something like that happened not very far from my home, and a primary school, and the high school across the road," she said.
Recent Whangarei shootings:
- Tribesmen gang member John Henry Harris was fatally shot in the chest in October last year near Whangarei
- Head Hunter gang member Moses Noor Mahanga, 25, was fatally shot in Otangarei, also in October 2016
- In August 2016 a man fired shots at Whangarei police
"I am dismayed to hear this terrible news," Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai said in a statement.
"We feel for the families, friends and community of the people caught up in this. The police are managing the situation and I don’t expect to have any information until later today."
Police say they're talking to people involved in the incident.
Newshub.
