The victim was not struck and managed to flee down to level two of the building, where he jumped off the exterior stairs. He was hospitalised but not seriously injured, Leitch said.
On Friday evening, Detective Jocelyn Bell of Wellington CIB said a woman was arrested today in connection with the shooting.
“The 34-year-old woman was arrested in Palmerston North,” Bell said in a statement.
“She is due to appear in Palmerston North District Court on Saturday, November 8, on charges of aggravated robbery, and committing a dangerous act with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.”
Another person of interest has been identified and police aren’t ruling out more charges.
“We hope today’s arrest will come as a relief to the Brooklyn and Te Aro communities, which we know have been shaken by this incident,” Bell said.
“Inquiries are ongoing and further updates will be shared proactively.”
‘Extreme risk of serious harm’
Earlier this week police said the “appalling violence” was believed to be targeting a specific man.
Police had spoken to many of the building’s residents who are “pretty upset about what’s happened”.
“The victim was at extreme risk of serious harm… but the residents of that block of flats, any one of them could have inadvertently walked into the line of fire, so it’s really fortunate that we’re not dealing with something more serious,” Leitch said.
Leitch would not say if it was believed to be gang-related, but confirmed it was a “targeted incident” and not a random attack.
“We’re still really trying to get to the bottom of why this happened,” he said.
Members of the public with information are being urged to contact police via 105 and use the reference number 251102/6491.
You can also report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
