Killer Beez gangster gets four years’ jail for shooting Wellington rivals in head

Mana Lawson was sentenced today for firing a 12 gauge shotgun, striking three men in the head, in an incident in central Wellington last year. Photo/NZME and NZ Police (inset)

Dekiah Poe is still waiting for surgery to remove his eye because of shotgun fragments after he was shot in the head by a rival gang member while out celebrating his 21st birthday.

Mana Lawson, the man who fired the shot that also struck two others in the head, was today sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for pulling the trigger and critically wounding two.

Lawson, 31, previously pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm and a representative charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The Killer Beez gang member was drinking with associates including patched Mongrel Mob members at various bars in central Wellington one night in April last year.

In the early hours of the following morning, the group encountered members and associates from a rival gang, the King Cobras.

The rival group were celebrating Poe’s 21st birthday.

At around 5am Lawson and others drove in convoy, parking on Inglewood Place near the intersection of Taranaki and Dixon streets, a popular area for nightlife in the city.

While walking to find the rival members an associate of Lawson’s, Mel Petersen, stored a 12-gauge shotgun in his trouser leg.

Lawson’s group approached the rival members on Dixon St outside Calendar Girls strip club where his associate was punched in the face, prompting them to retreat to where they had parked.

According to the summary of facts Lawson and Petersen regrouped, before Petersen withdrew the concealed shotgun from his trouser leg handing it to the then 29-year-old Lawson.

As the rival group walked around the corner in the group’s direction Lawson fired the shotgun from his hip, striking the three victims in the head, critically wounding two and striking the third in the face.

Poe and a second victim, Imani Tuala, received serious head injuries from the shot and were admitted to hospital where they underwent various surgeries including brain surgery.

Mana Lawson was sentenced in the High Court at Wellington to four years in jail for the shooting. Photo / NZ Police

The third victim, Waitoharuru Karaitiana, was wounded on his left cheek after he was struck by pellets, but he did not seek medical assistance.

Tuala received gunshot wounds to his face, neck, chest, brain, and tongue and still suffers weakness.

Poe was admitted to hospital with a ruptured eye with shotgun fragments lodged in his brain and heart.

Extensive damage was caused to his face by shotgun fragments and he awaits surgery to remove his eye.

Today Justice Rebecca Ellis in the High Court at Wellington heard the victims required invasive surgery - the family of one was told he might not survive his injuries; another remains unable to drive.

Although the victim impact statement from the mother of one victim was not read in full to the court, Justice Ellis referred to it as a powerful statement.

“She has somehow managed to forgive you... she is obviously a very special and very strong woman and I hope you get to meet her one day.”

Justice Ellis said the lives of the victim, his mother, and their whānau had changed forever.

Although the man managed to survive, “he walks with a limp and cannot play rugby”, Justice Ellis said.

Lawyer Michael Bott said Lawson’s decision-making was severely impacted by his diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and a traumatic brain injury.

The court heard Lawson’s mother drank “a lot” of alcohol during her pregnancy, and he was given vodka as a “tiny baby”.

Bott advocated for a reduced sentence due to Lawson’s significant neurological issues, as well as addictions to drugs, alcohol, and gambling, but accepted a sentence of imprisonment was inevitable.

Lawson faced social and economic deprivation throughout his life, exposed to gangs, violence, and drugs from a young age, however Bott said he believed there was hope for his client after formal diagnosis.

Lawson had expressed remorse for his actions, writing a letter of apology to the victims and their families.

Crown prosecutor Wilber Tupua said the balance of taking into account the seriousness of the offending and Lawson’s neurological challenges was difficult, but agreed there should be discount in his case.

Tupua acknowledged FASD and other issues faced by Lawson contributed to his offending.

The court heard Lawson was only diagnosed with FASD and severe brain injury through his lawyer advocating for him, and Justice Ellis said it was not fair to judge an offender in the same way as someone without such difficulties.

Justice Ellis said Bott had worked hard on behalf of Lawson so the court could understand the struggles and neurological challenges he faced.

“Without him, I’m sure your sentence would be quite a lot higher,” she said.

Justice Ellis said she hoped rehabilitative needs were explored after Lawson’s eventual release.

“Good luck Mr Lawson.”

Hazel Osborne is an Open Justice reporter for NZME and is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. She joined the Open Justice team at the beginning of 2022, previously working in Whakatāne as a court and crime reporter in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.