A Taranaki hospital nurse has described how residents feared a gunman was on the loose in staff accommodation after shots were fired in the car park last night.
Police cordon off an area at Taranaki Base Hospital after a shooting incident. Photo: RNZ/Robin Martin
The offenders responsible for the shooting at the Taranaki Base Hospital last night are still on the loose.
Police responded to multiple reports of gunshots at about 9.30pm and found a man with leg injuries in the hospital's Tukapa Street carpark. The 43-year-old from New Plymouth has undergone surgery and is in a stable condition.
The nurse, Krystal, who lives in the staff accommodation said she returned from her shift at about 11.30pm and that everyone was "pretty spooked".
"The sound carries a lot in there so it sounded like, or they said it sounded like, the person was in the building.
"So they all went to one side of the building until it was over and the police came in."
She said it was a while before anybody felt ready to go to bed.
"Everyone was wide awake when I got home at 11.30pm and a few of us sat up and watched videos to calm down."
Barry Hopkins lives directly across from the carpark.
"I was in bed and I heard two bangs and I thought, 'oh, should I get up?' And I thought, 'nah it's probably only a car backfiring.' I thought, 'shall I get out of bed?' And I thought, 'no.' "
Not even the police sirens were enough to shake Mr Hopkins out of bed.
"It still didn't register. With a hospital across the road you don't think of things like that."
The police cordon at Taranaki Base Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Mataku of the New Plymouth CIB said police believed there were a number of offenders involved in the incident.
Mr Mataku said a specialist police search team and about 20 local officers were involved in the hunt for them today.
"We've called in an expert to assist us with the search and the initial crime scene attendance. He's doing a forensic search of a vehicle there and the immediate area where gunshots fired.
"Last night we recovered shotgun cartridges and we are doing a more thorough search today in daylight hours."
Mr Mataku said the victim arrived at the carpark alone in plain white Toyota Hiace van. Police were interested in sightings of that van and another white van, and a dark sedan.
"We want to find the people responsible. Thankfully the injuries to the local New Plymouth man don't appear to be life threatening and he's in a stable condition.
"But we take the safety of our community very seriously and we are doing everything we can to catch these offenders."
Mr Mataku said it was understood the victim and the offender, or offenders, knew each other. There was no risk to the general public, he said.
Taranaki District Health Board chief operating officer Gill Campbell said it was offering support to its staff affected by the shooting.
"We're aware that the staff living in the hostel were very much aware and some witnessed what happened last night. A large number of the staff in the hostel are actually students, so particularly young people.
"We are meeting with those groups and offering them any support that they require."
