A Timaru woman hid in her home as she witnessed a man being chased by another person holding a pistol during a shooting at a neighbouring section that saw one person seriously injured on Saturday night.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told 1News she had just returned to her Coonoor Rd address from the supermarket when she heard a gunshot nearby.
“I saw these two people, one fella with a gun was chasing the other fella down past the side of my fence line toward the gate which leads out to the main road.”
She said the man being chased kept yelling out for attention.
Standing in her bedroom, she could see the man with the gun “getting aggressive” and said she thought something was going to happen.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, whether he was going to shoot the second fella, I didn’t know whether it was going to happen right there and then.
“I crouched down below the windowsill and started on my hands and knees to my lounge. I turned off my TV, I locked my doors, I just grabbed some stuff and by the time I came back to my bedroom, they must have left.”
She said adrenaline kicked in and she went into “flight mode.”
“I looked outside to see if it was safe enough to go to my garage, and I just took off.”
There had been issues with “dodgy” neighbours in the past cutting wood at 1am in the morning, she said, but nothing of that level.
“That was closer than close that I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve been down here 30 years.”
The police presence helped her to feel safe last night, but now she is considering staying home from work on Monday.
“I work really early in the morning, and I live here alone by myself and so tonight’s going to be my first time now that everyone is gone.”
Police responded to reports a person had been seriously injured at a Timaru residence around 5.20pm on Saturday.
A police spokesperson said one person was transported to Christchurch Hospital where they remain in a “serious but stable” condition.
Inquiries to determine the circumstances of the incident were ongoing on Sunday morning, with investigators working through a scene examination.
Residents of Coonoor St would notice an increased police presence, police said.
“However police believe that it has been a targeted incident and there is no ongoing safety risk for the wider community.”