A man died after a shooting outside Featherston's FreshChoice supermarket on Saturday. Photo: Screenshot / Google
Police say there will be people who know more about what led to a shooting, the death of a man found in a vehicle, and three sections of SH2 being closed down in the Wellington Region.
A homicide investigation was launched following the death of a man in South Wairarapa on Saturday, and police say anyone who knows more about what happened needs to make contact with them.
At about 4pm on Saturday, a firearm was discharged at a vehicle exiting the carpark of a FreshChoice supermarket on State Highway 2, in the small South Wairarapa community of Featherston.
A man was then found in a vehicle in Carterton, with an apparent gunshot wound, who has since died.
A second vehicle fled the Featherston scene, but was later intercepted by police in the Upper Hutt suburb of Kaitoke, and two people from that vehicle are in custody, police said.
On Sunday morning, Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel said: "We know a number of people would have seen elements of what happened yesterday, and we are keen to talk to you if you have not already spoken to Police.
"If you can help, please contact us on 105, either online or over the phone."
Police are considering possible charges for the two men who were arrested after the second vehicle was found on Saturday, and the focus of the investigation now is on the the full extent of the involvement of the occupants of that vehicle, Van De Heuvel said.
Scene examinations in Upper Hutt, Featherston and Carterton
Work was continuing on Sunday at several South Wairarapa scenes connected to the events.
"The Featherston scene examination is expected to be completed this morning," Van De Heuvel said.
"The Kaitoke and Carterton scenes [are] cleared, and a blessing of the Carterton scene will take place later today."
A post-mortem of the dead man was expected to be carried out on Monday.
The Featherston FreshChoice supermarket and New World Carterton both shut on Saturday following the events, but opened on Sunday.
"We acknowledge this was a distressing incident for those who witnessed it and the wider community," Van De Heuvel said.
"Police will have an increased presence in the community as we work to determine what led to the altercation, and who was involved."
Carterton Mayor Ron Mark confirmed to RNZ that police and ambulances were called to the town's Main Street to attend to a person in a vehicle with a gunshot wound who has subsequently died.
The incident was reported in Carterton near Pembroke Street as well as in Featherston near Daniell Street about 4pm Saturday.
Mark said that it seemed that the incident was targeted and did not pose a threat to the wider community.
"I'm very confident that the police will resolve this quite quickly."
He said the community wanted to know what was going on which he believed was understandable.
"Sirens, ambulances, police cars racing, road blocks, helicopters tend to cause a little bit of concern."
Mark told RNZ it would appear that the injured person was brought into Carterton in a vehicle "in the state that they were in".
Anyone with information about what happened, or who witnessed the event, was asked to contact police by calling 105 or on their Update Report page online at 105.police.govt.nz, and to quote the reference 250322/8281 and 'Operation Ascot'.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
