A 22-hour siege in New Zealand has come to an end with an alleged gunman suspected of shooting four police officers giving himself up.
The man, a 27-year-old, was taken into custody after an all-night police operation near the rural town of Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty.
The siege followed an incident on Wednesday afternoon when a police surveillance plane – allegedly looking for cannabis plants – was shot.
Later in the day four policemen received gunshot wounds and authorities cordoned off a rural property where an alleged gunman had barricaded himself inside.
One officer received serious but not life-threatening injuries, two received moderate injuries and one received a gunshot wound to the hand, police said.
Around 2pm on Wednesday the alleged gunman’s friends and family set up a vigil at a police cordon, where they remained all night in deck chairs, draped in hoodies and blankets, and shared a meal and snacks.
Family members told Fairfax New Zealand that they were in touch with the man via text messages, and they wanted a police escort into the house so they could talk to their relative.
Just after 9am on Thursday, a Maori police liaison officer, Warwick Morehu, entered the cordon area, and an arrest was made – peacefully – a short time later.
After the arrest the alleged gunman’s family and friends were seen holding a karakia (prayer) and speaking to Morehu, who was dressed in plain clothes.
Two of the police officers who were shot remain in a stable condition in hospital, and two have been discharged.
