Sylvia Park shopping mall in Auckland’s Mt Wellington was temporarily locked down on Thursday after an armed suspect tried to enter the premises as he was fleeing police officers.

Reports show that the police chase started after the suspect stole an air rifle at Gun City in Penrose at around 2pm.

The man was fleeing in a car, but the vehicle eventually became stranded at an intersection outside Sylvia Park, forcing him to run toward the shopping centre.

Police say he was shot while heading towards an entrance of the mall while in possession of the rifle. The offender was later pronounced dead at the scene despite having been provided with first aid.

A critical investigation was launched following the shooting, with officers setting up a cordon at the scene and asking people to avoid the area.

A mall staff member told RNZ they were in lockdown just after 3pm. Workers were told to lock themselves and others inside their stores. Several witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots.

Kiwi Property, which owns and manages Sylvia Park, said it was aware of an incident and that it was working with police.

Speaking to media at around 7pm, Superintendent Sunny Patel said the suspect was known to police but not wanted, adding that the man was under bail conditions but had not breached those conditions.