On Sunday, November 2, a person was injured after jumping from a balcony at the Pukehinau flats as they tried to flee a masked person with a shotgun.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said at the time the shooter, wearing a balaclava and carrying a shotgun, approached the victim’s flat about 3.30pm.
“An altercation of some kind has happened and the victim has run off. The suspect, we believe, has chased him down a hallway and then discharged a shotgun down the balcony towards the victim.”
The victim was not struck and managed to flee down to level two of the building, where he jumped off the exterior stairs. He was hospitalised but was not seriously injured, Leitch said.
Today, Leitch said a 22-year-old was stopped by police in Palmerston North on November 5 for allegedly speeding. He was arrested after a shotgun was found.
He is due to appear in the Wellington District Court on December 1, charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and aggravated robbery.
“We know this incident caused considerable distress to the residents of Pukehinau Flats, as well as the wider community, and we are pleased to have put those believed to be responsible before the courts,” Leitch said.
‘Extreme risk of serious harm’
Earlier this month police said the “appalling violence” was believed to be targeting a specific man.
Police had spoken to many of the building’s residents who were “pretty upset about what’s happened”.
“The victim was at extreme risk of serious harm... but the residents of that block of flats, any one of them could have inadvertently walked into the line of fire, so it’s really fortunate that we’re not dealing with something more serious,” Leitch previously said.
Leitch would not say if it was believed to be gang-related, but confirmed it was a “targeted incident” and not a random attack.
“We’re still really trying to get to the bottom of why this happened,” he said.
Members of the public with information are being urged to contact police via 105 and use the reference number 251102/6491.
You can also report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
