Police motorway shooting in Auckland

[UPDATE--8:50PM Saturday:
Police communications this afternoon:

Time: 16:20 24-01-2009

District: Auckland City

Incident Type: Fatal shot fired by officer

Location: Auckland City

What happened:

MEDIA RELEASE January 24, 2009 4pm

Fatal shot fired by officer

The post-mortem examination of 17 year-old Halatau Naitoko, who was fatally shot while travelling on the Northwestern Motorway yesterday afternoon, was carried out this morning and was attended by an ESR ballistics expert who has advised Police that the fatal shot came from a Police issue firearm.

Auckland Assistant Commissioner Steve Shortland says the homicide investigation into Mr Naitoko's death has so far - and there's a mountain more work to be done - established that five shots were fired by Police at the motorway scene yesterday.

"The firearms used by Police at the motorway scene were seized yesterday and all spent rounds have been accounted for," Mr Shortland said.

"Right now Superintendent George Fraser is visiting Halatau's family to inform them of the investigation findings so far. There's no easy way to say what we must say to the Naitoko family who are suffering greatly today."

Mr Shortland said those officers who fired rounds at the fatal motorway scene have identified themselves to the homicide investigation team and have given accounts of their actions.

"They are yet to be formally interviewed and those interviews will be carried out by staff who are coming to Auckland from out-of-district, specifically to carry out those important tasks.

"We said yesterday that, no matter who fired the fatal shot, the events of January 23 in and around Auckland were tragic for all concerned," Mr Shortland said.

"They are no less tragic today for the Naitoko family and are more tragic for the officers involved who, it must be remembered, were where they were doing their duties because a man with a loaded gun chose to rampage throughout the region without regard to anyone's safety.

"That man, a 50 year-old who is at this stage accused of a firearms offence, was wounded by Police and underwent surgery this morning to remove shrapnel from his chest and back. He remains under guard in Auckland Hospital.

"Another man who was injured during the tragedy was treated and discharged from Auckland Hospital yesterday."

Mr Shortland said that many people had witnessed some of the events of yesterday's hour-long pursuit and had given accounts to investigators.

However, if there are people out there who have information about parts of the pursuit and its tragic conclusion, they should contact the Operation Madison team on 09 302 6567.

ENDS

Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager

"more tragic for the officers involved" - that's typical police unfortunately. Only to the police could the killing of an innocent bystander by them be classified as less tragic than whatever criminal/administrative/professional fate befalls the person who pulled the trigger. There was a hail of bullets at the close that's for sure. The source who contacted me within half an hour of posting yesterday was the police spin that I thought it was at the time.
--UPDATE ENDS]

[UPDATE--6:10PM Saturday:
NZ Herald reporting tonight:

A post-mortem has revealed the bullet that killed a young father on Auckland's motorway during a police pursuit yesterday afternoon came from a police gun, police said today.

It was not yet known if it was a clean shot or if the bullet ricocheted off something before killing 17-year-old Halatau Tau Naitoko, Auckland Assistant Commissioner Steve Shortland said at a press conference today.

Mr Naitoko, a courier driver whose partner is pregnant with twins, died on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway after an armed man in a stolen car stopped on the busy motorway and tried to commandeer another vehicle using a sawn-off .22 calibre rifle.

Mr Naitoko died in a flurry of shots, some fired by two police officers and some fired by the armed man.

Mr Shortland said the homicide investigation into Mr Naitoko's death established that five shots were fired by police.

"The firearms used by police at the motorway scene were seized yesterday and all spent rounds have been accounted for," Mr Shortland said.
[...]
Mr Shortland said the officers who fired rounds at the fatal motorway scene had identified themselves to the homicide investigation team and had given accounts of their actions.

"They are yet to be formally interviewed and those interviews will be carried out by staff who are coming to Auckland from out-of-district, specifically to carry out those important tasks."

Regardless of who fired the fatal shot, yesterday's events were "tragic for all concerned", Mr Shortland said.

The Police Assoc. are already on this one:
Police Association head Greg O'Connor said the officers had been put in a difficult position by the alleged offender.
Here we go. Let's just see what comes out.

--UPDATE ENDS]

[UPDATE--12:30PM Saturday:

More Police communications - last night they called it a "homicide" and released the name of the 17 year old shooting victim.

Time: 21:15 23-01-2009
District: Auckland City
Incident Type: Update media release - homicide
Location: North Western Motorway
What happened:

Update Media Release

Police investigating the homicide on the North Western Motorway have been able to identify the victim of the fatal shooting.
He was Halatau Kianamanu NAITOKO, a 17 year old courier driver from Mangere.
No further information is available this evening.

Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager
Issued by:Inspector Jacqueline Whittaker

And a further police communication this morning says the offender is in hospital with shrapnel wounds, but it's a "fatal" shooting not a "homicide" in this latest report:

Time: 10:00 24-01-2009
District: Auckland City
Incident Type: Update on Fatal Shooting
Location: North Wesern Motorway

What happened:

The man taken into custody by police after yesterdays motorway fatal shooting was kept in Auckland hospital under guard last night and will undergo surgery this morning to remove shrapnel from surface wounds.

The earliest he will appear in a court will be Monday.

He was arrested for failing to stop and for using a firearm against a law enforcement officer.

A postmortem examination of the shooting victim is underway and is expected to be completed later today.

Police will hold a media briefing at Auckland Central Police station at 4:00 pm this afternoon.

No further information will be available before then. Anyone with information about yesterdays pursuit and fatal shooting who has not already contacted the police, should do so on 09 3026567.

Issued by: Inspector Barry Smalley
--UPDATE ENDS]

[UPDATE--10:35PM:
NZ Herald reporting tonight:

Police have confirmed an innocent bystander was killed after being confronted by an armed man who was at the time being pursued by police on Auckland's Northwestern Motorway today.

Police say they don't know who fired the fatal shot or shots.

In other words the police are saying they have good reason to believe that one of their members shot the person, the "bystander". That is what this means. My bolding:

Auckland City District commander, Superintendent George Fraser said the dead man was killed in one of the vehicles that the gunman had tried to take but did not say who fired the fatal shots.
He said shots were fired by police and the gunman during which the innocent man was killed.

So there was an exchange of fire? Or was the offender not firing at the police, but at something or someone else? What or who were the police aiming at when they fired their weapons?

Mr Fraser said a police investigator and the Independent Police Complaints Authority are investigating the death.
Another motorist, the driver of a light truck, was also injured after being confronted by the man.
One man is in custody after having been arrested at the motorway scene by Armed Offenders Squad members.
Mr Fraser said the offender is known to police but is not an escaped prisoner.
A sawn-off .22 rifle has been recovered by officers at the scene.

The timeline:

He said the chase started after a bag snatching in West Auckland. A short time later, a patrol car in the area saw a man with a gun.
Mr Fraser said police chased the car which was firing shots at police.
"The vehicle obviously became a serious risk to police, public and any other people in the vicinity," Mr Fraser said.
He said the car the gunman was travelling in stopped on the North-Western Motorway ahead of a police road block and the man jumped the barrier and tried to take another vehicle.

So, the police stopped the car with a roadblock? If that is true, what did they then expect to happen?

Mr Fraser said police were this afternoon trying to find the family of the man who was shot dead.
He said he could not say what charges the arrested man was facing.

Well if it's not murder or manslaughter it must be someone els who shot him, ie. a police officer.

Mr Fraser was cut short by a colleague when asked if the gunman was alone.

Cut short? What's going on here? Whose running this show? The Police are acting cautiously - I don't think I've ever heard a policemen on television terrified before - not like Supt. Fraser. Like he knew something awful.

In a written statement he said: "This is an absolute tragedy for the family of the dead man and, for that matter, the numerous members of public and police who were drawn into it," He said.
"Detective Inspector Peter Devoy has been tasked with overseeing the Police criminal investigation into the shootings and the events leading up to them. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been advised.

The Herald continues:

An eye witness told nzherald.co.nz that he saw an armed man being taken from a truck on the other side of the motorway to a white van.
The man, who does not want to be named, said he saw a Skyline smashed up and a white van parked up on the median strip.
"He had a gun in his hand and he was trying to get into the truck but by the time he got around there, three armed offenders had come around the back way and more had jumped over the barrier," he said.

The witness said he heard three shots - "bop, bop, bop" before he saw police drag a man to the white van.
"From where I was you could see he had been shot because he had white first aid stuff up around his chest and there was red on that area," the man said.

A Herald photographer at the scene said he could see the feet of an unmoving person visible from a white van.
A St John Ambulance team leader told nzherald.co.nz that by the time ambulance got to the scene one man was deceased and another had minor injuries.

There is no suggestion that the offender had this "bystander" hostage, that does not appear to be an issue at all. This is a tragedy.

This is also looking bad. Either way this is looking very bad for the NZ Police. Letting this maniac drive all the way into town - right past the Auckland Central Police headquarters (if you believe TV3) and then blocking him in on the motorway - only to have him hijack traffic and then the OAS end up shooting an innocent bystander... that is what this is looking like at the moment. But, we don't know the detail of the broad facts at this point. The other option (that the police circles are putting out) is that the offender shot the bystander. Or both? We don't know at this point. The police will be investigating themselves again and it starts to get tricky. They are reluctant to tell us much at this stage.

What aren't they telling us? How many rounds were fired by police in the incident?
--UPDATE ENDS]

[UPDATE--7PM:
Police Communications:

Time: 18:00 23-01-2009

District: Auckland City

Incident Type: Update of media release

Location: Auckland City

What happened: Update of media release

MEDIA RELEASE January 23, 2009 5.30pm

Tragic events on Auckland streets

A motorist was killed after being confronted by an armed man who was at the time being pursued by Police on the North Western Motorway shortly after 2pm today.

Another motorist, the driver of a light truck, was injured after also being confronted by the man. His injuries are not serious and he is in Auckland Hospital receiving treatment.

The dead man will be removed from the scene as soon as possible and a post-mortem examination held forthwith.

Police have scenes on the motorway and in other parts of Auckland as they investigate the tragic events of this afternoon.

One man is in custody after having been arrested at the motorway scene by Armed Offenders Squad members. A weapon - a sawn-off .22 rifle - has been recovered by investigating officers at the scene.

The pursuit, which started in Glen Eden at about 1.08pm after the driver of a car pointed a gun at an officer who attempted to stop him, became increasingly dangerous to civilians and Police as shots were fired by the offender as he travelled through New Lynn, Avondale, Kingsland, Ponsonby and Grey Lynn before getting onto the North Western Motorway.

It was there that pursuing officers initiated a "moving barricade" so as to put an armed Police safety buffer between the pursued driver and other motorists. At the time of the fatal shooting, the armed man was on foot and attempting to steal another vehicle, having got out of the car he had been driving.

Auckland City District commander, Superintendent George Fraser, says that from there events took a drastic turn when the man got out of the car he was driving and attempted to take another vehicle - that being driven by the fatal shooting victim.

"This is an absolute tragedy for the family of the dead man and, for that matter, the numerous members of public and Police who were drawn into it," Mr Fraser said.

"Detective Inspector Peter Devoy has been tasked with overseeing the Police criminal investigation into the shootings and the events leading up to them. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been advised.

"While we are aware that several shots were fired throughout the hour or so from shortly after 1pm, we do not know who fired the fatal shot."

Several witnesses, including attending Police officers, have been co-operating with Police but anyone with information who hasn't been in touch with Police should contact Auckland Central CIB.

Several Police vehicles and staff were involved over the period of the pursuit, including the Air Support Unit, Dog Section and CIB.

ENDS

Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager

- My bolding. I dare say there will be quite a few witnesses. TV coverage featured numerous accounts of the chase and the fatal conclusion.

Information from NZ Police:

Offender in custody, police have his sawn-off .22 rifle.

Offender fired on police during pursuit through West and Central Auckland which ends on NW Motorway.

Offender attempted to car-jack a truck, motorist injured.

Offender attempts to car-jack another motorist...

"A motorist was killed after being confronted by an armed man who was at the time being pursued by Police on the North Western Motorway shortly after 2pm today."

And "several shots were fired" -

No information from NZ Police:

No admission from the Police that one of their members also fired shots - no explicit confirmation, which in itself tells you how super-defensive they are.
--UPDATE ENDS]


[UPDATE--6:40PM:
Lines being spun out of Police circles that the offender shot the man in the truck and then the police later shot at something... The offender was shooting at the police from the car apparently (same source).

When I saw the map of the chase route (on TV3) I noticed that he takes a diversion to go all the way across town to Pitt Street before heading back out. Pitt St? Auckland Central Police Headquarters. Round their block and back out west. Taunting the cops. That's what TV3 is saying they did. Sounds like a crazed P-head on the fries; but what of the shooting?

Sources close to Police say the offender shot the man, not the police. So, what did the police shoot? When did they shoot, and when did the offender shoot (if at all)? The witnesses never mentioned shots from the offender, but they did say he had a gun. It happened further up the road from where I live, so I'm taking more of an interest in it than the normal police shooting incident.
--UPDATE ENDS]

[UPDATE--6:05PM:
Police press conference - on TV3 - you could hear the fear in his voice. The police spokesman was near shuddering. There was an incident on the flat bed of the truck, he said. The police fired shots, he said. Witnesses on TV said it was "pop-pop-pop" three quick shots - that's how they described it. TV3 had the victim's partner saying he tried to jolt the offender in the cab of the truck and then there were shots. That's what the woman described as "victim's partner" said on TV3.

"Police seemed very nervous" according to the TV One reporter. Oh, no. The offender is in custody.

The RNZ reporter said there was an eerie silence at the scene.

The clip they played of the police statement looked similarly and eerily sombre.

Orders, judgement calls, personal responsibility, accountability... a death, a tragedy. Questions will be asked; but the facts remain imprecise at this moment.

--UPDATE ENDS]


I can see the traffic on the North-Western motorway, city-bound, it has been backed up since two this afternoon. Little traffic along Great North Road too - and it wasn't due to the Auckland Anniversary Day weekend either. Then I hear on the 3 o'clock news on RNZ that the police have shot someone on the motorway after a car chase and an attempted car-jacking. Then at 4 o'clock it's a "tragedy" according to the Police and it sounds as if the shot person is dead.

Now at 5 o'clock I can see the traffic still at a crawl - it took an hour for traffic to go from Ponsonby Rd to Surrey Crescent according to one commuter who just got back also saying the motorways were deserted - and RNZ now reports the police cannot confirm whether the offender has been shot...

Oh, no.

The incident occurred near the Western Springs interchange. Traffic reports on Radio Live say the NW is still closed. RNZ says detectives have turned up. Oh, no. We don't get that many killings in our neck of the woods, it's mainly stabbings out here in the inner West. I recall a few years back that a car chase ended out at the beginning of the NW motorway and a man presented a gun and was shot and killed by Police. That's the last incident I can remember. The Police Complaints Authority will have total priority on this one. It will be a test for the re-vamped "Independent" authority.

report:

A man has been shot dead and another is believed to be wounded following a two-hour police pursuit through central Auckland on Friday.
About 20 police cars were involved and the Armed Offenders Squad called out after initial reports of an armed man in a stolen vehicle on Friday afternoon.
A Radio New Zealand reporter at the scene says the pursuit of a grey Skyline began about 1pm in west Auckland before heading through the suburbs of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn near the central city.
Witnesses reported dramatic scenes, with the vehicle being pursued reaching speeds of up to 120km/h through residential areas.
The pursuit ended just before 3pm when the Skyline crashed into a median barrier on the busy north-western motorway.
The driver of the Skyline got out of the vehicle, attempted to hijack a truck on the motorway coming in the opposite direction, before three shots were fired.
Police confirmed that one person is dead from gunshot wounds following the incident. His body remained at the scene and an investigation is under way.
It is believed another man was shot in the arm and it is thought he has been taken to hospital.
The crashed Skyline and a number of damaged police vehicles remain on the motorway, which has been completely closed.

[UPDATE--5:40PM:
NZ Herald reporting:

An eye witness told nzherald.co.nz that he saw an armed man being taken from a truck on the other side of the motorway to a white van.

The man, who does not want to be named, said he saw a Skyline smashed up and the van parked up on the median strip.

"He had a gun in his hand and he was trying to get into the truck but by the time he got around there, three armed offenders had come around the back way and more had jumped over the barrier," he said.

The witness said he heard three shots - "bop, bop, bop" before he saw police drag a man to the white van.

"From where I was you could see he had been shot because he had white first aid stuff up around his chest and there was red on that area," the man said.

There were intially reports that two shots were fired and a man had been taken into custody.

A Herald photographer at the scene said he could see the feet of an unmoving person visible from a white van.