A man is lucky to be alive after he was shot at while dropping off a child at Taupiri School in the Waikato.
Waikato West Area Commander Inspector Will Loughrin read a prepared statement to media about the incident:
‘Police enquiries are ongoing following a serious incident in Taupiri this morning. At approximately 9.30am police responded to a firearms related incident on Te Putu and Greenlane Road in Taupiri.
There, a firearm was discharged at a vehicle that was parked on Greenlane Road.
One person has received moderate injuries and is currently in Waikato Hospital in a stable condition.
We understand the victim and the offender are known to each other.
We also believe this is an isolated incident and we also reassure the community of that fact.
Police are currently investigating this incident, as well as an incident that occurred yesterday and have subsequently a search warrant as part of that ongoing investigation. These two incidents form part of a wider investigation our team are undertaking today.
The school was placed into lockdown as a precaution this morning. However, I can reassure you there was no immediate risk to the children at the school.
Officers that attended the scene today were armed as a precaution, and at this stage we do not believe this is in any way connected to any of the ongoing gang tension across the country.’
