Kevin Johnston is the man who shot his mother in Southland.

The man who shot his mother in rural Invercargill before being found dead is Kevin Johnston.

Johnston's body was found at an Otatara Rd address, which is owned by both him and David Christopher Payne.

Johnston was found dead after an hours-long standoff with police, following the shooting in Otatara on Tuesday evening which left his mother seriously injured.

STUFF.CO.NZ A suspected Invercargill gunman who shot and seriously injured a woman was her son.

Southland Area Commander inspector Joel Lamb said formal identification process was completed and it was suspected Johnston suffered a self-inflicted injury.

"Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time," Lamb said.

His death has been referred to the Coroner.

ROBYN EDIE Police remained at Otatara Road late on Tuesday night, with the alleged gunman believed to be at a residential property.

Johnston is the sole director of a company called Property Repair Solution Ltd. He and Payne were shareholders in the company.

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While police had earlier confirmed Johnston was related to the 50-year-old woman, they would not confirm that he was her son.

KAVINDA HERATH The victim was taken away by ambulance. She remained in a critical condition.

Both the shooting and Johnston's death would be investigated.

As the matter has been referred to the Coroner, police were unable to comment further, Lamb said.

The shooting victim, who had been taken by ambulance from near the Otatara Four Square supermarket to Southland Hospital, had been transferred to Dunedin Hospital around midnight on Tuesday for ongoing care, a spokeswoman at Southland hospital said.

CHE BAKER Police cordoned off Otatara Rd at the intersection with Dunns Rd.

She remained in a critical condition.

A cordon was in place at the end of a rural driveway on Otatara Road, and an ambulance was seen leaving the property shortly before 1am on Wednesday.

Police lifted a second cordon at the intersection of Otatara Road and Dunns Road at 12.35am.



A neighbour said there was an incident at Johnston's property between 1pm and 2pm where a man left in a "distressed state" and was seen running down Otatara Rd stripping off clothes.

Che Baker/FAIRFAX NZ A woman is helped into the back of an ambulance in Otatara, near Invercargill.

SHOTS FIRED, COMMOTION HEARD

Otatara Rd resident Anna Tither has revealed her terror as the tragedy unfolded late into the night.



She was at home when she heard two gunshots about 11.45pm, and another two shots about five minutes later, she said.



She had been aware police were looking for the gunman at the time.



"I thought, f... is he on the rampage or not.



"Honestly I was so scared ... I thought, oh my God."



When later learning the outcome of the tragedy, she said she felt for the gunman and his family.



"It really sucks it happened ... and it scared everyone. It's not nice feeling unsafe in your own home and little town."

Another Otatara resident who lived nearby to where the incident unfolded said he was woken by what he believed was a gunshot about 11.15pm.

Fairfax Media An item of clothing near the intersection of Ackers Rd and Otatara Rd, a few hundred metres from the property.

Around 20 minutes later the resident said he heard what sounded like more gunshots and commotion in the neighbourhood.

The firearm sounded like a double-barrelled shotgun, the resident said.

"We rang the police at that stage cause it sounded pretty close to home."

Fairfax Media Armourguard were at the end of this driveway in Otatara on Wednesday morning.

The police would not say anything about the incident and gave no instructions, he said.

Otatara Rd resident Steve Clements said he knew most of his neighbours, but did not know who was involved in the incident.

It happened in what appeared to be a subdivision, and Clements said he did not know people off the small side road well.

If it was not for the internet, he would not have know what was happening, despite the incident being across the road from his home, he said.

His daughter, who lived in the Invercargill suburb of Waikiwi, called him to tell him what was going on.

He did not realise how close the incident was to his home until this morning, and had not received any visits or warnings from police on Tuesday night.

"What worries me is the little old couples in the area who wouldn't have had a clue what was going on," he said.

The road had been unusually quiet on Wednesday night, he said.

"Usually you hear cars going up and down here all the time."

Police were called to the shooting at 6.34pm on Tuesday, and the armed offenders squad was called in.

Another woman, believed to have been with the victim, was taken away in a police car. She appeared uninjured.

Police put cordons in place at the intersection of Otatara Road and Dunns Road, and at the end of a rural driveway to the property where the gunman fled to.

A dog unit and officers were understood to have also scoured an area near Oreti Beach.

Police said there was not believed to be any danger to the public but residents in the area should make sure their properties were secure.

However, residents trying to get to their homes in the cordon were turned away.

In a statement shortly after 1am on Wednesday, Southland Area Commander Inspector Joel Lamb thanked locals "for their patience and understanding" during the police response to the shooting.

"A number of cordons were put in place to ensure the public were kept safe. I appreciate the cooperation from local residents," he said.



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