Faalili Moleli Fauatea, 23, died soon after he and three others smashed their way into the family home of Orren Scott Williams about 3.30am on June 6, last year. Video / Dean Taylor
A man accused of shooting four men, killing one, who broke into his home looking for cannabis says he never called 111 because he wanted to drive to the local constable's home.
Orren Scott Williams was quizzed by crown prosecutor Jacinda Hamilton in the High Court at Hamilton today about his movements just prior to and after shooting at the armed burglars.
She asked why he didn't call police as soon as he saw the men driving off from his Harbour Rd property after a confrontation which saw him fire eight shots at the four men and their vehicle.
Phone records showed that Williams had received seven short calls from his wife, ranging from 5 seconds to 25 seconds between 3.51am and 3.57am.
Orren Scott Williams is on trial in the High Court in Hamilton defending four charges including murder. Photo / Belinda Feek
When asked again why he didn't call the police instead, despite being "terrorised" by the men, Williams said "I hadn't thought about ringing police yet."
He said he was trying to settle his wife and kids who were traumatised by what happened and deciding what to do.
An hour later, at 4.55am, he messaged a friend at Kinohaku asking if his wife could come over after someone had "come in to their house and attacked them with a machete".
He then texted Matthews at 5.46am asking him to get the licence plate number of a vehicle that had pulled over.
When pressed further, he admitted to not ringing police at all and instead said he was going to drive to Kawhia to see the local constable - about 30 mins away.
On his way, he drove past police who had been called to Hauturu School by the injured men.
When asked why he didn't stop there, Williams said he only saw one police car and didn't see any police officers.
"I didn't see [a cop] and I thought the guys were still at large … I thought that they were around still."
He said it would have been quicker for him to drive to Kawhia as it would have taken "ages" for police to arrive.
Hamilton also asked more questions around his evidence that he only sold cannabis on behalf of someone else.
"You say that it was other people's cannabis?", she asked. "At that time, yes," he said.
"At that time?" Hamilton quizzed.
"I have sold some of my cannabis before. A year before maybe."
Hamilton went on to produce text messages between him and a friend in April 2019, two months before the incident, in which he says "we had a good harvest".
In texts later that month, Williams said he "could do $3500 for a pound at a push if you held onto it you could do $4000 for it in 8 weeks' time".
Police secure Orren Williams' vehicle several kilometres from his home and Hauturu School. He claims he was driving to the Kawhia police station when he was stopped.
He also texted him that he could do a pound for $3500 but his mate could do one for $3200.
She also quizzed him on his actions after he'd loaded the firearm in the gun cabinet in the laundry.
Hamilton suggested to him that instead of looking for the men, he in fact went and checked on his wife and kids near the laundry door – where there were droplets of blood – and told them to go out the window before going to see what the men were up to outside.
"No, I didn't say that," he said.
As for what made him fire his first shots, Williams said he thought from the silhouette he could see a couple of metres in front of him, that the person had a gun "the way he was holding his hands, or a weapon of sorts."
"I just thought he was coming back so I didn't want him coming back," Williams said.
Hamilton again asked if he saw him moving towards him and he replied "I couldn't tell".
