A man is being treated in Masterton Hospital for firearms injuries to his left leg after a gang related shooting in the town this morning.
Police were called at 7.45am when a nurse walking home from work heard a man calling out for help from a creek bed.
Inspector John Johnston, Wairarapa Police Area Commander, says the man told the nurse he'd been shot in the leg. The nurse investigated, established that the wound was not life threatening and ran to a nearby house where he called police and ambulance for help.
Cordons were set up and the Police Armed Offenders Squad called from Wellington.
Shortly before 11am AOS staff and paramedics brought the injured man out of the creek and he was taken by ambulance to Masterton Hospital. The man's name has not been released at this stage but he's believed to be in his 20s.
AOS staff are still checking properties in Miriam Street and adjoining areas to try and find those believed to be associated with the shooting.
"Details are still very sketchy," Inspector Johnston says. "We know the shooting was gang related, but when it happened, who was responsible for it and the reasons why are still not known.
"We believe the injured man was hiding in the creek. We don't know how long he had been there.
"He certainly would have been in some discomfort and it was fortunate that the person who heard his cries for help was a nurse who knew what to do.
"The nurse's actions were commendable."
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