Reports of shots fired at vehicle at Rotorua intersection

Glass on the ground at the intersection of Old Taupō and Malfroy Roads, where a reported shooting happened earlier on Tuesday. Photo / Maryana Garcia

A witness says he ducked for cover as shots were reportedly fired from a vehicle at a ute at a Rotorua intersection this afternoon.

The incident, which has left locals concerned about gun violence, happened at the intersection of Malfroy Rd and Old Taupō Rd.

Police say no one was injured and they are looking for the vehicles involved.

Witness Dave, who did not want his last name to be used, told Newstalk ZB he saw someone shooting at a ute from another vehicle at the traffic lights near West End New World about 12.30pm.

“I just came out of the New World supermarket. I stopped at the lights to turn left on to Old Taupō Rd. The next thing, there’s all these shots and this guy’s hanging out the passenger window shooting at the ute.

“He must have let off five, I don’t know if it was four, five or six shots with a revolver.

“You could see the revolver, quite a big revolver, clearly.”

The visitor to Rotorua said the ute and the other vehicle “took off through the red light”, then the ute did a “sharp turn” and ploughed into the driver’s side of the other vehicle.

“Then they just both split and went [in] different directions.

“I’m all right now. I’m shaking a bit.

“It was quite unnerving, I’ll tell you. You wonder where all the spare bullets had gone.”

Dave said he saw a couple of people duck for cover.

“I just couldn’t get out of there fast enough, but … all the traffic just stopped.

“The lights turned green and nobody went. It was just unbelievable. I ducked. I lay across my car seat.”

There was shattered glass on the road at the intersection when the Rotorua Daily Post arrived at the intersection on the corner of Malfroy Rd and Old Taupō Rd.

A man, who did not want to be named, said he was at the shops on the corner when the incident happened.

”I heard it,” he said. ”There were five shots and a squeal of tyres.”

The Rotorua Daily Post spoke to several other people in the area who did not witness the incident but were generally concerned by the reported use of firearms in the neighbourhood.

A police spokesperson said police received a report of occupants of a dark-coloured sedan discharging a firearm at a white ute on Old Taupō Rd around 1.40pm.

Neither vehicle had been located, but police were making positive inquiries.

“No one was injured in the incident and an investigation remains ongoing.”

Anyone with information that could help police was asked to call 105 and quote event number P056085129.