Two investigations are underway after police fatally shot an armed man outside Auckland’s Sylvia Park Shopping Centre yesterday afternoon, following a pursuit that began with the theft of an air rifle from a Penrose gun store.
Police said the incident began at about 2pm on Thursday when officers were alerted to the theft of a long-barrelled air rifle from Gun City in Penrose. The man allegedly left the store and fled in a white Suzuki Swift, prompting a police response involving ground units and the Eagle helicopter.
Eagle located the vehicle near Sylvia Park and tracked it as it travelled into Pakuranga, entering the car park at Pakuranga Plaza before quickly leaving and heading along Pakuranga Highway towards Panmure.
Police said the Suzuki was being driven erratically as officers pursued it. Road spikes were successfully deployed, but the vehicle continued towards Mount Wellington Highway before eventually becoming stranded at an intersection outside Sylvia Park.
At about 2.50pm, the man abandoned the vehicle and ran towards the shopping centre while carrying the stolen air rifle.
Officers pursued him on foot and confronted him beneath an overpass near an entrance to the mall. Police said the man was still carrying the weapon when an officer shot him.
First aid was provided immediately, but the man died at the scene.
A witness who saw part of the pursuit described to state-funded media an unusually large police response, saying he saw a white Suzuki Swift travelling at speed followed by numerous marked and unmarked police vehicles.
“When they passed me, there would have been about 20 [police cars], and by the time I got to Sylvia Park, there was still more coming from every direction,” the witness said.
Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Sunny Patel confirmed later on Thursday that police had launched a critical incident investigation into the shooting. The Independent Police Conduct Authority had also been notified and will conduct a separate investigation.
A number of key circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear overnight.
Patel said police did not yet know whether the stolen air rifle was loaded or whether the man had ammunition. Investigators had also yet to establish how many shots were fired, whether attempts were made to detain the man before the shooting, or whether he pointed the weapon at anyone.
“That’s something that will need to be uncovered when we carry out the full investigation, when we’ve actually spoken to the police officers involved,” Patel said.
He said the decision to use a firearm was made by the officer at the scene and did not require prior authorisation.
Police are also investigating how the man was able to take the air rifle from the Penrose store. Patel described the initial incident as shoplifting but said the circumstances surrounding the theft remained under investigation.
“We just don’t know the circumstances of how he became in possession of that firearm,” he said.
Police confirmed the deceased man was known to them and was on bail at the time, although he was not subject to electronic monitoring and was not wanted by police before Thursday’s incident. Further details about his identity and bail conditions were withheld while next of kin were being notified.
Police said the man was acting alone and no other person was being sought in connection with the incident.
The shooting unfolded during a busy period at Sylvia Park as shoppers were at the mall and the afternoon rush hour was beginning. Police established cordons around the scene but said there was no continuing threat to the public.
Patel said support had been put in place for the officer involved in the fatal shooting.
Police have asked witnesses, including anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage of the pursuit or events around Sylvia Park, to contact investigators.
