South Auckland homicide: Sound of gunshot led police to body

Police were called to the Favona address early this morning.

The sound of a gunshot led police to a body in a South Auckland house.

Police have launched a homicide investigation after a person was found dead at a house in the suburb of Favona, near Māngere, in the early hours of this morning.

And they are now bumping up police staff on the frontline as they hunt a person in relation to the incident.

A gunshot was heard and reported to authorities about 2.50am today before officers discovered a body inside a house on Calthorp Close.

"A person has been located deceased at a residential property and we're working to understand the circumstances of the death," an earlier statement said.

The circumstances of the incident are not yet clear and police remain at the address carrying out a scene examination today.

Any other details about the victim - their age and gender - have not been released.

Acting detective inspector Shaun Vickers, of the Counties Manukau crime investigation branch, said a post-mortem examination and victim identification process are still due to be carried out.

Members of the public in the area are being told that more frontline patrols are also due to be put in place as a result of the incident.

"The community can be reassured that a number of detectives are now working on this investigation.

"Police have also launched frontline patrols in the wider area."

Authorities are now in the process of informing the victim's next of kin of the death.

The incident comes after a man was critically injured in a shooting on the same street early last month.

At that incident, on December 4, police and emergency services were called to the scene after multiple gunshots were heard just after 9.30pm.