Third shooting in Hawke’s Bay in two months sounds like ‘fireworks’: Bar owner | Media Pyro

A Hastings bar owner says the gunshots on his premises were caused by exploding fireworks.

Three shootings took place across Napier and Hastings over seven weeks, including Greenmeadows (September 26), Taradale (October 28) and Central Hastings (Sunday).

The search for suspects in all three incidents is ongoing and no arrests have been made as of Monday.

In the latest incident, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Bar 2013, a busy pub in central Hastings, fired what was believed to be a bullet from a passing car.

Police said it was an “exact coincidence” that no one was hurt because there were so many patrons inside.

Police confirmed that some of the bullets from the round went into the Garden Bar area.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward with the incident, which happened around 1.40am.

Bar 2013 owner Barry Kumar said he and his security guard thought the loud gunshot was a firecracker, which broke some glass and damaged the roof.

“I thought someone was bursting firecrackers outside,” he said.

“Someone outside, one of the patrons, told me there was somebody [fired] A shot.”

He said he called the police and closed the bar for the safety of the patrons.

In another shooting in the Napier suburb of Greenmeadows on September 26, a man in his 30s was shot in the leg outside a construction site in Tate Dr after finishing work.

He was still in the hospital as of late last week, and no new update on the patient was available Monday.

In another shooting in the Napier suburb of Taradale on October 28, armed police responded to Nikau St after a suspected shooter in the area.

A 40-year-old man was injured in the incident but was discharged from the hospital the same day.

Anyone with information about the shooting can contact police on 105 or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.