Man shot dead by police during shootout this morning

A man was shot dead by police this morning after a 350km high speed car chase from Opotiki to Auckland.

Caleb Dean Henry, 20, was named today after a shootout with three teams of armed offender squads after he attacked a couple in their 60s with a knife at their Opotiki farm and then stole their ute.

Henry, an ex-soldier dismissed for “disciplinary reasons”, shot at police three times during the chase, and was eventually stopped by road spikes on Auckland’s northern motorway near Mairangi Bay.

“The NZ Defence Force can confirm Mr Henry was a member of the NZ Army from March 2010 until his discharge for disciplinary reasons on 18 July 2012,” an NZDF spokesperson told Stuff reporters.

“Mr Henry did not deploy on operations during his service.”

Henry’s Facebook page shows multiple photos of him with his military gear.

Ann,63, and Alan Looney, 66, are in a stable condition at Whakatane Hospital. They received deep cuts to their hands during the attack at around 7.30pm last night.

A relative of the couple told the Whakatane Beacon that, to his understanding, Alan had gone out to get firewood and had returned to find his wife tied up.

He was then attacked and tied up himself, and Henry stole his ute and rifle. Alan managed to free himself and called police.

It is not yet known whether Henry was killed by shots from police, or if his death was self-inflicted.