Armed Incident in Southern District, 2:25pm

At about 2.25pm today Police were contacted by a Hayle Street resident who had seen a rifle being fired from a house nearby. A number of other people from the area also contacted police to say they believed they had heard shots.

The actions of the person firing the shots created concern for others in the house.

Local staff cordoned the area and watched the house while the Armed Offenders Squad travelled from Dunedin.

Prior to their arrival a man left the address in a car. He was apprehended without incident at a cordon point.
Shortly afterwards a second person left the house. They were apprehended a short distance from the home.
On arrival the Armed Offenders Squad entered the home and confirmed that no other people were present and recovered a high powered air rifle.

The second person to leave the house has been released without charge the first a local man aged 37 has been charged with Discharging a Firearm near a Dwelling and released on bail he will appear in the Oamaru District Court on Wednesday 10 June.

Police would like to thank the residents in the area for their help and tolerance during the incident and appreciate that many were inconvenienced. In circumstances like this public safety is paramount and the fact that people realise this makes our job much easier.