Witnesses saw someone running from a car in Whangarei where a man's body was found last night, police say.
Police at the scene of the suspicious death at Otangarei. Photo: RNZ / Lois Williams
Police have launched a homicide investigation over the death of the 25-year-old man.
Officers were called to the suburb of Otangarei about 11pm yesterday after people reported hearing gunshots.
They arrived to find the body of a man in a white car parked on William Jones Drive.
Witnesses told officers they saw a person carrying what was believed to be a firearm running away from the car.
The person is described as being of medium build, 170-180cm tall and wearing a black hoodie with light coloured track pants.
The victim had not yet been named.
A police cordon at the scene of the death at Otangarei, Whangarei. Photo: RNZ / Lois Williams
Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said officers have not identified the gunman or found a firearm during searches of the area today.
But he has assured people in Otangarei and the wider Whangare community that police did not think the man was a public risk.
Mr Burke said finding the man was the number one priority for the police.
The victim's body was still lying covered in William Jones Drive, beside the white Mitsubishi car, as forensic teams examine the secene.
