A random daytime shooting with a paintball gun has left a young woman injured and traumatised.
Three shots were fired from a vehicle at the 17-year-old holidaymaker as she stood talking with friends near a pedestrian crossing opposite Burger King on Mount Maunganui's Banks Ave.
The girl, who had arrived in the
Mount earlier on Saturday, was hit once in the face.
Mount Maunganui police Constable Todd Hilleard said the girl suffered injuries as a result of the 12.50pm attack and was also left in shock.
Police believed the shots were fired by a man sitting in the front passenger seat of an emerald green Subaru Forrester which had stopped at the intersection of Banks Ave and Maunganui Rd.
The man was described as being about 20, with olive skin and scruffy brown hair. He was wearing a black hat, dark glasses and a white top.
The car was being driven by a woman, also about the same age, with long blonde hair and of slim build. She was wearing a white singlet and dark glasses.
Police described the car as being in good condition, with silver trim around its bottom half. It had a sunroof and heavily-tinted rear windows, and witnesses also described it as having a dent on the driver's side around the back panel area.
Following the shooting, the car turned left into Maunganui Rd and headed towards the Mt Maunganui cinemas.
Video footage showed the car entering the area about 12.15pm and leaving immediately after the shooting, about 12.50pm.
The weekend paintball shooting was not the first in the Bay. In July 2006, 16-year-old Mount Maunganui College student Karen McMahon was delivering pamphlets when she was hit in the leg by a paintball fired from a passing car.
Three teenage boys were believed to be responsible for the shooting, which left Miss McMahon with a bruise the size of a saucer.
Saturday's shooting came almost a year after police dealt with a group of teenagers who were firing paintballs at vehicles from a van near Katikati.
The New Zealand Paintball website lists eye and ear damage as the biggest health risks from paintballs.
Anyone with information on Saturday's attack should contact Mr Hilleard on 575 3143.
