More details on man who fled after death in car

A tagged mural welcoming people to the Whangarei suburb of Otangarei. PHOTO/NORTHERN ADVOCATE

Police have revealed more details about a man being sought after the sudden death of a 25-year-old in a car in a northern Whangarei street this week.

Police were called to the scene around 11pm after reports of gunshots in the area.

Police have spoken to witnesses who have reported seeing a person running away from the vehicle, carrying what is believed to be a firearm.

The person is described as being of medium build, between 170-180cm tall and wearing a black hoodie with light coloured track pants.

In a media statement released on Thursday, police said work was ongoing to identify the person who ran from the scene and searches were continuing to locate a firearm.

A scene examination had been completed and the vehicle was undergoing a forensic examination.

A post-mortem was being undertaken Thursday afternoon to establish the cause of death and to formally identify the victim.

Police hoped to release the name of the victim tomorrow, once all next-of-kin have been notified.

Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said police have received calls from the public with information.

"We really appreciate the community support," he said.

"We continue to ask anyone with information to come forward and assist police with our enquiries.

"I also want to remind the community that we have no information to suggest that there is any on-going risk to members of the public.

"The investigation team will continue to work on this until we have identified and located the person or persons responsible for this crime," Mr Burke. said

Information can be passed to the Whangarei Police Station on 09 430 4500 or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.