Arrest after man dragged to death

Faafetai Lafolua with partner Helen Atitoa and Isiah, 7, and Lavana, 5. Picture / Michael Craig

Police are not ruling out further arrests in the killing of an Otahuhu man, dragged more than 2km to his death under the wheels of a van.

A 25-year-old Mangere man was to appear in the Manukau District Court this morning charged with murdering Faafetai Lafolua, after being arrested at an address in the South Auckland suburb about 4.30pm yesterday.

Mr Lafolua, a 24-year-old father of three, was killed on Friday night while attending a vigil at a makeshift shrine erected to Haruru Pekepo, shot dead barely a month ago.

He was mowed down by the car, allegedly driven by rival South Auckland-based gang members, then dragged more than 2km around five streets.

Black tyre marks could be seen yesterday leading from the site of the confrontation and along the path he was dragged.

It is understood the car tried to dislodge Mr Lafolua as it rounded a corner, and what looked like blood could be seen on the white lines of the intersection.

His body was found by members of the public at least 1km further on, on Great South Rd.

"There are so many gruesome ways, and violent ways, in which people can meet their deaths in New Zealand," inquiry head Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher said yesterday.

"This is another variation on a very brutal and violent death."

A post-mortem examination was to be done today.

He said though the arrest was timely for the family, there were still "a huge number of people" to be interviewed.

"This is an early breakthrough for our investigation."

Family members yesterday paid tribute to Mr Lafolua, rejecting police claims that he was a gang member.

Mr Lafolua was an integral member of a closeknit group of "neighbourhood boys", not a gangster, his cousin Christine Lafolua said yesterday.

"The word gang, to me, is used for a group of guys who do bad things. But the people he hung with were more like a family."

She said her cousin and his friends had always hung out around the Awa St-Nikau Rd intersection as it was "the centre of their houses".

"They were just friends and they all lived close together."

She described Mr Lafolua as a family man who held down a steady job at Fletcher Aluminium.

He was recently promoted to the position of weekend supervisor.

Mr Lafolua's partner, Helen Atitoa, could not be reached for comment yesterday, but another relative, Tee Atitoa, described the family as "gutted" by his death.

"We only saw him last week. We just heard he got run over and killed."

He described Mr Lafolua as "an on-to-it guy, like cool".

The Lafolua family are understood to be travelling to Auckland from Samoa, Australia and across New Zealand.

One woman - a distant relative of Mr Lafolua - said she would always remember him as "the fella that saved little Richie's life".

Judy Harris, of Weymouth, had been at a child's 5th birthday party with Mr Lafolua about three years ago.

A group of children were playing outside when a 2-year-old fell in a stream.

Mr Lafolua leapt into the chest-deep water and pulled the child from a tangle of weeds, then resuscitated the boy.

"Lots of coughing and spluttering later, Richie came kicking and screaming back to reality."

Mrs Harris said Mr Lafolua always played down the rescue, but now people should know what he did.

She said she was upset and angered by reports of Mr Lafolua's gang involvement, and wanted to tell people of his bravery.