A south Auckland community has been left shaken after a shooting took place on a peaceful street early Sunday morning.
A person was shot and killed at a property in Ōtāhuhu, with community leaders warning if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.
Residents say it's a quiet street, in a quiet neighbourhood, yet they woke this morning to find themselves in the middle of a crime scene.
One resident telling Newshub he tried to tell himself that banging sounds in the night were "a car backfiring" but his partner "was sure it was gunshots".
It was around 2am when shots were fired on Beatty Street leaving one person dead on the front lawn of a house.
Si Allen lives nearby. He also woke up to three loud bangs.
"There was two and then there was a third one, then I heard some screaming that went on for about a minute."
Emergency services arrived soon after, but it was too late.
Newshub spoke to a number of locals who are shocked and upset to hear this happened. They explained they are a close-knit community, who look after each other well.
Local councillor Alf Filipaina is a former cop in the area. He's surprised the killing happened in such a nice neighbourhood but says it's part of a wider problem of gun crime in south Auckland.
"Government get on board, please, because we need to talk, and not just talk in circles, but talk to get something done," he says.
