Residents of the small Bay of Plenty community of Omanawa are shocked and scared after two people were found dead at a property, with fears of retaliation should the killings prove to be gang-related.
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The bodies of two men were found on the large rural property on Ormsby Lane close to the McLaren Falls, south-west of Tauranga, after police received reports of gunshots.
People who live nearby saw cars driving up the small gravel lane at great speed shortly before multiple shots rang out.
The cars were then seen zooming away from the property, before a person approached a neighbour asking if they had a first aid kit because people had been shot.
No one RNZ spoke to was prepared to lend their name or voice to this story, fearing it could put them and their families in harm's way.
One nearby resident said they didn't know what was going on until members of a community Facebook group started warning of an ongoing firearms event.
"It developed throughout the night and we thought, 'We better lock things up here'," the resident said.
Today reports emerged that the person or people suspected to have carried out the killings may still be at large.
"That's a little bit scary," the resident said. "There's quite a bit of bush around all the properties, so you don't know where they could be."
The property the incident occurred on is listed as being owned by Paul Lasslett.
"He has lots of different people staying there. He rents out his own house and lives in the shed and then he's got another lot of people in a caravan further up in the property.
"It's a really nice property, but we don't know who of them was in trouble."
People who live on Ormsby Lane weren't allowed through the police cordons until yesterday evening.
Residents had been traipsing through the surrounding paddocks in order to get home.
Armed police remained posted at the scene last night.
Yesterday, Tauranga's Mayor Tenby Powell said the incident had occurred after an escalation in gang activity in recent weeks.
"We're seeing some very violent acts and it's only a matter of time before a resident - an innocent if you will - is caught up in the collateral damage of these activities."
However, police won't say whether the incident is gang related.
The Police Minister, Stuart Nash, said people who live in the area can expect to see armed police in the coming days.
