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A resident in an upmarket Hamilton neighbourhood where a homicide probe is underway has been told by police that gunshots were heard not far from his home. 

Homes and a toilet block remain under an armed police cordon this morning after a man died and another person was badly injured in Hamilton overnight. 

Police launched a homicide investigation after they were called to a Lake Crescent address about 6.15pm, following reports someone had been seriously injured. 

After arriving at the scene, police found a second person at the address with a serious arm injury. 

The initial victim died at the scene, while the second was in a stable condition in Waikato Hospital. 

Today, a police cordon blocks part of the upmarket lakeside street home and a public toilet block at Innes Common. 

A police guard at the toilet block at Innes Common domain in relation to the Lake Crescent shooting last night. Photo / Mike Scott 

Armed police are stationed on the street with at least one home taped off. A nearby toilet block is also taped off, with an officer standing guard outside.

Residents living near the cordon were this morning shocked to find their normally quiet, friendly neighbourhood now the focus of a major police operation after a suspicious death.

The scene at Lake Cresent, Hamilton, where a person was shot and a homicide investigation is underway. Photo / Mike Scott 

A resident living close to the cordon said he spoke to an officer last night who told him gunshots had been heard just “short” of his house.

He said usually the street was “very quiet”, and police “very rarely” there.

“I don’t have many problems around here, [just] an occasional burglary ... but [it’s] not an area that has too much problems really.”

Photo / Mike Scott

Another resident living close to the cordon said she was unsure if the incident was related to someone living on the street or from the lake.

“We don’t know if they were fighting each other or if somebody else [from the street] was involved.

“We haven’t actually heard anything and everyone was messaging us asking what’s going on, and I thought it might have been down the other end because we didn’t even hear sirens.”

She said she asked police at the cordon if they had caught the person, and was told “I think they have”.

One neighbour said he came home at 7.30pm to police on the street. “We thought it was a booze stop.”

Another neighbour who lives a couple of houses away from the incident said the police presence was “surprising” to him since he “hardly” saw any police on the street.

“It’s usually just ambulances going to the hospital.”

Forensic experts are on the scene in Hamilton today. Photo / Mike Scott

He said he only noticed something was going on when he saw the police lights, he said there was no noise.

“We don’t really know what’s going on.

“There were quite a few of them. At first I thought there was a fire maybe because there was the fire brigade.“

Police asked him for CCTV footage.

Another resident who has lived on the street for more than 40 years said this was “the first time I’ve seen police holding a gun in Hamilton”.

He hadn’t heard anything about the incident until he read the news.

He doesn’t feel unsafe due to the police presence, but is still shocked.

“I never see police here holding [a] gun and blocking traffic, our area is very quiet.”

He said the people of the street were very friendly, with people walking down the driveway to go to the lake.

“It’s surprising … injury like this and gunshot, it’s never happened before.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Ambler said that cordons remain in place as police work to determine who was involved and find them.

“Residents in the area can expect to see a police presence for the time being while we progress these inquiries.”

Hato Hone St John said ambulances were sent about 6.30pm last night.

“We transported one person in a serious condition to Waikato Hospital.”