Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Police believe the drive-by shootings in Gisborne at the weekend were a gang related incident, though the people injured had no gang connections.
Tai Rāwhiti Area Commander Inspector Danny Kirk told Morning Report the offenders had gang connections.
On Saturday night police received reports of shots being fired at a house from a vehicle on Taruheru Crescent in Mangapapa, he said.
"As police were responding to that incident an additional call came in reporting that shots had been fired at a vehicle on Valley Road and that vehicle that was shot at contained two occupants."
The information police had was that the vehicle with the shooter in it was the same one from the earlier incident, he said.
Police located the suspect vehicle on Lytton Road and attempted to stop it, but the driver fled. A pursuit followed through the Elgin area, ending when the car was stopped near the intersection of Awapuni Road and Lytton Road.
Four males - aged 15, 16, 28, and 36 - were arrested and have each been charged with discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Further charges are expected as the investigation continues.
"During the course of the pursuit, a firearm was thrown from the vehicle."
A member of the public saw it and called police.
"The people who were shot at and injured in the...vehicle are not gang members and were innocent members of the public going about their evening," Kirk said.
He would not say if the people in the house that was shot at were connected to gangs.
Kirk said it was incredibly concerning there have been drive-by shootings in Gisborne
"I don't know why it was that these people decided to fire shots at innocent members of the public who were in a car...but the gang conflict itself is between gang members, it is not a gangs versus the public situation that we're in.
"That being said, whenever gangs engage in violent confrontations with one another, whether that be an exchange of shots at each other or undertaking large scale brawls in public places, it always puts members of the public at risk at some way or another."
Kirk said he was concerned about an escalation in violence.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz told Midday Report the community could be assured that drive-by shootings in the region wouldn't be tolerated.
"The police reassured me in conversations I've had with them over the weekend that they are on top of this," she said.
Stoltz said it was a small group that was "misbehaving and breaking the law," and she said it was not acceptable for that behaviour to interfere with others lives.
"The police won't tolerate it."
Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga said the community was annoyed by what had happened.
"The community by and large are really keen to see this behaviour get nipped in the bud."
He said it would be also be great to see family members "get in behind" and hold their whanau to account.
"This isn't cool behaviour," he said. "It's not behaviour reflective of the community you live in."
