People working at Sylvia Park Shopping Centre are feeling shaken after a man carrying a stolen air rifle was fatally shot by police as he approached the mall yesterday.

Serving waffles from the Eggloo food truck inside the mall, Cherry Zhao faces the doors where just outside, the man, identified as Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene, was fatally shot

"I just see the police there and I hear the gun and it was really smelly. I just sit down, you know I was really scared and didn't know what was going on."

She crouched down and was on the phone to her manager when police officers locked down the shopping centre.

"The police say put down your phone and close the door...I just stay inside for one and a half hour."

Zhao works alone most week days and said she felt lucky to be unscathed.

She felt a bit nervous coming to work today but said she was pleased to see more security guards and police.

"I'm quite scared I'm not joking," she said.

The manager of a bar at the shopping centre, Seri Jackman, said he was not working yesterday but a coworker called him when they saw police.

"One of the managers just called me and was telling me police are here. It's scary to think about but it could happen anywhere. I'm just glad that [there] wasn't that much damage."

Lanie Lidasan, a local who moved from the Philippines just a month ago, was surprised there had been a shooting in an area she thought was safe.

"I'm so nervous to come back right now but I have to buy medicine. I feel safe right now because there's lots of police inside."

On Friday, Superintendent Sunny Patel said a scene examination has been completed and a post-mortem examination is underway.

"I understand the events that unfolded have shaken people that were there at the time, and the wider community. There will be an increased police presence around Sylvia Park Shopping Centre over the coming week to provide reassurance for the public."

RNZ understands the 33-year-old father of five had four previous convictions for firearms offences and was sentenced to four years in prison in 2023 for aggravated robbery.

In response to questions from RNZ, Corrections director of communities, partnerships and pathways Simon Chaplin said Corrections' thoughts were with those impacted by the incident at Sylvia Park.

"Corrections can confirm this person was subject to community detention and supervision.

"Their community sentence included a 7pm-7am curfew where electronic monitoring was used to verify that they were at their home address during the hours of this curfew. They were not in breach of this curfew at the time the Sylvia Park incident occurred."

On Thursday afternoon police had received information about the theft of an air rifle in Penrose, which resulted in a chase across Auckland.

Gun City owner David Tipple, where police say Otene stole the air rifle from, told RNZ staff chased him after the theft but he had "succeeded in driving off in a car".

Police confronted Otene underneath an overpass as he approached the entrance of Sylvia Park, still carrying the air rifle. He was then shot by police.