Police have identified a man who died following an armed exchange on the North Shore this morning as Caleb Dean Henry, 20, of Opotiki.
Assistant Commissioner Upper North, Allan Boreham, said Police had informed his next of kin in New Zealand and overseas and were supporting them and the two victims hurt during the initial home invasion.
"Police's first priority in any incident is to ensure the public and our officers are kept safe, and we are saddened for all of the families involved that this has ended in tragedy. We also have two victims who have been left hurt and traumatised, but are very relieved that no-one else was injured during this fast-moving, dangerous and unpredictable situation.
"While there are a number of active investigations still ongoing, our initial inquiries indicate that the Police staff involved displayed considerable skill and judgement in resolving this incident without anyone else getting hurt," Mr Boreham said.
He said Police weren't currently looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. Inquiries were underway in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato, after the stolen vehicle crossed five Police districts and several hundred kilometres.
Police advise that due to their ongoing inquiries at the scene, a section of the Northern Motorway will remain closed this evening. A short diversion will be put in place to divert northbound traffic around the scene. The remainder of the motorway remains open.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen a dark blue Ford Ranger utility as it travelled from Opotiki to Auckland overnight. The vehicle initially travelled towards Rotorua via the Kaimai ranges around 10.30pm before turning north to Auckland. The incident ended about 2am today after the ute came to a stop and shots were exchanged near Sunset Road on the North Shore.
Mr Boreham said the driver had continually attempted to evade Police, firing on officers on at least three different occasions with a high-powered rifle as he drove through the Bay of Plenty, Hamilton and Auckland in the stolen vehicle. Road spikes were deployed near the Bombays and the Victoria tunnel in Auckland to deflate the ute's tyres.
Various Police units, including members of the Armed Offenders Squad were involved in the incident.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who saw or heard anything during the incident, including anyone who found unexplained holes, projectiles or spent cartridges on their property or near their vehicles.
ENDS
Ed's note: The victims and the family of Mr Henry have asked media to please respect their privacy, and do not wish to make any public comment at this time.