Two men are in custody and a third is awaiting surgery for injuries suffered in a cliff fall after a drive-by shooting in the Manawatu district.
Liam Thomas Roche, 28, and Todd Gordon Brooking, 29, appeared in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday afternoon on a joint charge of unlawful possession
of a firearm, namely a .22 rifle.
Police opposed bail for both men and they were remanded in custody to reappear at the Feilding District Court next week.
The third man is also to be charged in connection with Tuesday night's incident, when he leaves hospital.
He fell 30m down a cliff near Kimbolton, 30km northeast of Feilding, and was rescued by a team brought in by helicopter.
The 45-year-old was yesterday in a stable condition awaiting surgery in Palmerston North Hospital after injuring an arm, leg, his chest and back in his fall.
The incident began about 10.20pm in Apiti, 45km northeast of Feilding, when shots were fired at a local man from a passing white van, Detective Sergeant Kevin Anstis said.
A short time later, police identified a vehicle believed to have been involved.
They stopped it near Londons Ford, close to Kimbolton.
A police car was damaged while stopping the vehicle, and three men ran from it across rugged farmland.
The armed offenders squad and dog handlers were called in and the Square Trust rescue helicopter used its night sun searchlight to aid the search.
A dog handler found one man, who was arrested soon after the vehicle was stopped.
Two other men were eventually found by police dogs on a ledge about 30m down a 100m cliff about 3am.
One of them was believed to have broken an arm and a leg from falling down the bush-clad vertical cliff.
The other man clambered down the bank to try to help, St John paramedic Howard Wills said.
He then got stuck on the ledge.
A rope rescue team comprising members of the Palmerston North Fire brigade, Wellington police search and rescue and Wellington Free Ambulance were flown to the scene by the Square Trust rescue helicopter and the Life Flight Westpac helicopter, from Wellington.
The uninjured man was rescued about 5.30am.
A paramedic was lowered to the injured man who was then hauled up the cliff face on a stretcher. He was flown to Palmerston North Hospital with moderate to serious injuries.
Police recovered a rifle believed to have been discarded by the suspects.
- NZPA
Two men are in custody and a third is awaiting surgery for injuries suffered in a cliff fall after a drive-by shooting in the Manawatu district.
Liam Thomas Roche, 28, and Todd Gordon Brooking, 29, appeared in the Palmerston North District Court yesterday afternoon on a joint charge of unlawful possession
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