Shot man was on electronic bail (+ video)

Police at a Vaughan Rd address yesterday. A man - who was being electronically monitored - was tasered three times before being shot in the stomach on Te Ngae Rd on Thursday. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

A man who was Tasered then shot by police in Rotorua this week was on electronically-monitored bail, the Corrections Departments says.

"Corrections can confirm that the man who was shot by police in Rotorua yesterday was not on home detention," a Corrections spokesperson told Newshub last night.

"Corrections is not managing him on any sentence."

The 35-year-old was shot twice in the stomach on Te Ngae Rd on Thursday after he was seen wielding a slasher.

Police believe he was affected by methamphetamine at the time of the incident. Attempts to subdue him with pepper spray were ineffective. He was also Tasered three times before being shot twice by an officer.

A cousin of the man told the Rotorua Daily Post he was a "good person" despite sometimes getting into trouble.

"He was doing good last time I saw him, it was a while ago, he was starting to clean up, he had a job."

The cousin, who did not want to be named, said he wasn't surprised when he heard methamphetamine may have been involved.

"He's really actually a good person, he just got himself into trouble."

A Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman said the shot man yesterday remained in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

Police were yesterday unable to say whether the man had been in breach his bail conditions while an investigation into the shooting was underway.

However, Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor commended the Rotorua police on how they had handled the incident.

"I think it's important to reflect about the tragic incident [on Thursday] where a police officer was placed in a situation where an offender had to be shot.

"I look around the room today and I'm very confident that any one of you, man or woman, would carry out your duty when necessary to keep the community of Rotorua safe.

"And that's why we come to work, we come to work to prevent crime and keep our community safe," Mr McGregor told staff at the celebration of 75 years of women in the police yesterday.

Yesterday morning three police cars were at an address on Vaughan Rd, with a police officer searching down one side of the road. No one else was seen at the address.

A police spokeswoman said police were still investigating the incident and monitoring the man's health. No charges have yet been laid.

The incident unfolded around 1pm near the Redwood Shopping Centre.

The man, carrying what was described by police as a "four-foot long slasher", was chased by police around the busy area. He had earlier attacked a police car.