Armed out-of-town police remained on alert in Wairoa this morning to try to prevent recriminations after a shooting in the town late last night. A 20-year-old man was shot in the face in the incident at a property in McLean St, on the southern side of the Wairoa River. He was flownto Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. He was reported to be the only person injured in the incident. Sergeant Aubrey Ormond, of Wairoa police, said there was a confrontation between two groups about 10.20pm, involving about 12 people, and "a number" of shots were fired. Armed Offender Squad members from Gisborne rushed to Wairoa and were staying on alert in the town to avert further problems, police said. No arrests were understood to have been made by 9.30am this morning. Police believed one of the groups had gone to the McLean St property where, according to one source, it was thought the injured man had been living. It was not clear whether it involved inter-gang rivalry. Wairoa has had a long history of Mongrel Mob and Black Power conflict, most notably a fatal shooting of two men in a Marine Parade confrontation in 1988 and a fatal sniper shooting of a Black Power member in a van leaving town following a confrontation near the Wairoa Courthouse in 2003. A source said there was a more recent history of non-violent and low-profile resolution of issues among gang leaders, who were "in dialogue" today.
