Two young girls involved in the fatal hostage tragedy in Tauranga have been discharged from hospital. A man was shot dead by police yesterday following a hour standoff after holding three children hostage with a machete inside a Bellevue property. He has been described as a "bit of a recluse" by one neighbour.
Two of the children, aged 4 and 6, were carried to safety by armed police moments after the man was shot dead. Both were rushed to an ambulance before being taken to Tauranga Hospital with minor injuries. A Bay of Plenty District Health Board spokeswoman said the two girls were discharged to their family yesterday. The other child involved, an year-old, had been rescued from the two-storey house earlier in the day.
A man called Marsh lives about metres from the house. The first he knew something was happening came at first light, waking to find the street full of police , RNZ reported. I didn't even realise they were here last night. Andrew and his wife, Katie, were woken up in the early hours after hearing police officers talking on the grass in front of their property. A friend who was staying had been out and returned to their home, but was grabbed by police.
She was freaking out and was saying I live at number 10 not number There wasn't like mayhem or anything," Katie said. Andrew said the main thing going on was just various meetings with the armed offenders squad. The road was just cordoned off and there was just a lot of cops and no one really leaving their house. Coralie returned home from work at about midday. She was not allowed into the street but got home by walking through a neighbour's property.
She was on her deck watching the events unfold when police moved in to end the hostage drama. Marsh described the last few minutes to RNZ: "All I saw was an ambulance pull up, gunfire, kids were pulled out, taken away, happy as, it was good and then just boom, boom, boom.
