One person is dead and three people are in a critical condition after a shooting overnight in Waitārere Beach in the Horowhenua district. The local mayor has described the shooting as a “tragic family incident”. Police have confirmed a 60-year-old man died in the incident, while the injured survivors were a woman, 43, and two young men, aged 17 and 21. Emergency services including police, rescue helicopters and ambulances were called to the emergency around 12.40am, after a 111 call from the settlement north of Levin. Police said the shooting left three people with life-threatening injuries. A man was also found dead at the Waitārere Beach Rd address, and the police were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. “Responding officers were told that a firearm had been discharged at the address and, when they arrived, four people were found with wounds that are consistent with being shot,” Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham said. “The woman was taken to Palmerston North Hospital by ambulance and the two males flown to Wellington Hospital. “Another young person who was at the address is physically unharmed and they are being given wrap-around support.” Police stand guard outside a property on Waitarere Beach Road where a shooting took place, leaving a man dead and three others injured. Photo / Mark Mitchell Grantham said a firearm was located at the scene and a forensic examination of the property would begin today. While the police were not looking for anyone else, officers will stay at the scene while the investigation progresses. “This is a shocking incident for Waitārere Beach and the district. This was a confronting scene, and I want to acknowledge the emergency personnel who responded to the call for help. “We are still in the very early stages of our inquiries, but we are focused on understanding how and why this tragic event occurred,” Inspector Grantham said. Information would be released proactively when it became available. Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden told the Herald police were responding to a “tragic family incident”. “My thoughts are with the family members injured in this terrible event,” he said. Wanden said the shooting appeared to be isolated, and the community could be assured in knowing police are satisfied no one else is involved. The only road in and out of the small beachside community was closed this morning. Residents say they are able to enter and exit the township now, but with traffic controls in place. Police say the Waitārere Beach shooting is an isolated 'family incident'. Photo / Mark Mitchell A local shopkeeper said he was familiar with the couple that lived at the Waitārere Beach Rd address, but he did not know them personally. He said he believed the man who lived there had a reputation for being “impatient”. The store owner said that despite the violence overnight, foot traffic had been normal today. Wellington man Wal is visiting Waitārere Beach and said the shooting was “bizarre - it’s supposedly a quiet little town”. “We heard the cops during the night [and] the helicopter this morning and didn’t think anything of it.” Two Waitārere local women walking on the beach this morning said they were not shocked by the violence overnight given there had been other similar recent incidents. “It’s a mixed bag [town], I’m not an expert but there’s certainly been a lot of stress and family stress. “There’s been an increased police presence here helping out in the last six months.” The pair referenced a murder case from 2016 in which a man pleaded guilty to the murder of his 10-year-old brother Alex Fisher. The Waitārere women said they had lived in the town for about four years, and its residents were mainly retirees and young families. They said it has a population of around 600. “Some people have been here for years that are more close-knit but I’d say it’s not a super-cohesive little town … it’s changing.” The property on Waitārere Beach Rd, Levin, where a shooti...