By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE
A Rotorua man barely escaped with his life when he was shot in the chest during a home invasion at rural Mamaku yesterday.
Christopher Collins, aged 27, chanced on two armed intruders when he called on his former partner for a cup of tea.
He was in a stable condition in Rotorua Hospital last night after surgery to remove a bullet.
"He is a very lucky boy," said Detective Sergeant Dennis Murphy, who is in charge of the case.
"We are about a millimetre away from investigating a murder.
The hunt for two men last seen heading for the extensive Mamaku Forest will resume today.
The search was scaled down after several hours when a helicopter and dogs and officers on the ground found nothing.
Police concentrated on examining the victim's rented house.
It is in a farming community 20km north of Rotorua and about 100m from the nearest neighbour.
Officers went door to door talking to residents in Mamaku village, which has a population of about 900.
Mr Collins had dropped the woman's 8-year-old twin sons at the local primary school for her.
While he was away, two men, one with a gun, burst into the house, said Mr Murphy.
Both were wearing loose, dark clothing and had disguised their features.
After threatening the shocked woman, the intruders left and tried to start her car.
Mr Collins returned and grappled with the pair. They fled on foot and he gave chase and the man with the gun turned and fired a number of shots, one of which hit Mr Collins in the chest.
Mr Murphy said police had "an open mind" on the motive for the crime. They were concentrating on finding and talking to people who had seen two suspicious-looking characters in the area before or after 9am.
One of the intruders might have been hurt in the right leg during a struggle with Mr Collins and could be limping.
The principal of Mamaku Primary School, Mark Johnson, had left for swimming sports in Rotorua with about half of the school's 150 pupils, including the sons of the victim.
They saw police heading towards the village and wondered what was going on.
Mr Johnson did not know until last evening who was involved in the drama.
Back at the school, police ordered the remaining children and staff to stay indoors until their safety could be assured.
"Everybody was very calm and controlled," said Mr Johnson, who admitted to being "very concerned" as the news came out.
A Mamaku businessman, who declined to be named, said he did not know the victim or her former partner.
"Locals only have snippets of information," he said.
"There are about 20 stories going around and they are wide-ranging."
He preferred not to speculate on motive, and to let police get on with their job.
However, he said, "certain activities at this time of year" caused some friction in the Mamaku community.
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