The carpark where Levi Haami was fatally assaulted. A teenager has been charged with murder. Photo / Georgia O'Connor-Harding
The carpark where Levi Haami was fatally assaulted. A teenager has been charged with murder. Photo / Georgia O'Connor-Harding
Three teenagers have been killed in the Garden City in the last four months. There's been a stabbing, shooting, and now an alleged fatal assault. Is there a worrying trend of rising violent crimes against the city's youths? Or are they all nightmare cases of wrong place, wrong time. Heraldsenior journalist Kurt Bayer reports.
"He was at a party with his friends," the broken dad James Whitehead wept, wiping away bottomless tears.
"He should have been safe and he should be home with us."
Connor Whitehead, a 16-year-old boy who loved his tunes and planned to study law, was shot dead outside a Christchurch birthday party last month.
He later died in hospital of his injuries, surrounded by friends and whānau.
A homicide probe is underway and a 16-year-old youth today appeared in court charged with murder.
Haami was the third teen killed in the city in the last few months.
It goes back to Friday, August 14.
Zion Purukamu, a 16-year-old from the Hoon Hay area of the city, was at a party with about 80 other youths at a house rented through Airbnb on Medbury Terrace in the upmarket suburb of Fendalton.
A youth has been charged with Purukamu's murder and has appeared in court.
Zion Purukamu, 16, died after being stabbed during a party on Medbury Terrace in Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
It's a shocking spate of violence towards city youngsters which has sent reverberations around the community.
While none of the cases are connected in any way, they all involve young people, in groups, out at night.
"It's that culture of younger people and some of the decision-making around their willingness to turn to violence so quickly," says Mike McRandle, the Canterbury-based NZ Police Association vice president.
What he calls "senseless acts of violence" is worrying police staff and the community.
"The consequences are so far-reaching and can end up ruining all sorts of people's lives," McRandle says.
"It's pretty sad, isn't it. This time of year too, Christmas time, and here we are, the poor families who have to deal with this ... It's another tragedy, all round."
Daryl Gregory, a former soldier who has spent more than 30 years working with youth and families in the community, lives on Medbury Terrace, where Purukamu was killed.
He woke one Saturday morning up back in August with police tape outside on his street and he was left scratching, thinking, "What the hell happened here?"
Gregory believes the level of violence employed by young people has increased in recent times.
Previously it might've been predominantly seen on the east side of the city, he says.
But now, it's spread right across Christchurch, making Gregory wonder where it all stems from.
"They don't seem to have the capacity to think things through – they just behave, react to what they see and before you know it..."
Gregory believes it has to start in the home. And educating youngsters to be kind, and do the right thing.
"I've said for years the biggest disease we have in New Zealand is the lack of parenting," he says.
"Parents seem so busy to get ahead and do the right thing that the kids are just growing up by themselves. And whether you go to a good school or not-so-good school, you're all exposed to the same pressures through social media and stuff and kids are experimenting and trying out what they're seeing on whatever social media they're on.
"Parenting has to start from the womb. We can't rely on school teachers and others to educate our kids."
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the death of any young person is a tragedy.
"My thoughts are with the families of these young people right now, as the police investigate the latest incident," she said.
Canterbury Metro Area Commander Superintendent Lane Todd agrees.
"The tragic deaths this year of three young people under these circumstances is devastating for our community," he says.
While he can't comment while the matters are all before the courts, police thoughts remain with the families and friends affected and he thanked them for their "ongoing assistance and co-operation" in relation to the investigations and upcoming court hearings.
"Our police teams have worked tirelessly on these serious investigations to bring a form of closure for the victims' families," Todd says.
Responding and investigating serious violent incidents, especially when they involve young victims, also takes its toll on police staff.
Police management has improved in recent years at looking after staff after tough jobs and managing workloads, McRandle says.
But staff still feel the pressure when "somebody has paid the ultimate price".
"It's huge. It's not just a small group of people that get affected, it's a real pressure for the responding staff investigating these serious incidents," he says.
"In cases like these, there are certainly no winners."
