PHOTO: SUPPLIEDA Southland drive-through worker was shot in the face with a gel-blaster, leaving him in shock for about eight hours. "I gave them their drinks, they paid, and then as I turned my head to take the next order, they shot me," Mr Marshall, 26, said. The blaster was "a bit like a paintball gun" but shot gel balls instead of paint, he said. His assistant manager filed a police report and later that day Mr Marshall made a statement to police. "It felt like a buyout, like they were just kind of paying it to go away," Mr Marshall said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 05, 2026 18:08 UTC