Liquor store owner killing 'cold, deliberate', court told

Navtej Singh was killed during an armed robbery at his Manurewa liquor store in June 2008. Photo / Supplied

South Auckland liquor store owner Navtej Singh was lined up by a gunman and shot in the abdomen in a "cold and deliberate manner", a court heard today.

Mr Singh, 30, was working in his liquor store, Riverton Liquor, in Manurewa when he was gunned down during an aggravated robbery on June, 7, 2008.

He died in hospital the next day.

The Crown alleges Anitilea Chan Kee, 22, walked into the liquor store with Myron Robert Felise, 22 and Jason Naseri, 21, with the intention of robbing it of alcohol.

Three others, Tino Faamele Felise, 19, Eti Filoa, 25, and Walter McCarthy, 19, waited outside.

Tino Felise was driving a getaway car while Filoa and McCarthy were acting as lookouts, prosecutor Kirsten Gray told the High Court at Auckland this afternoon.

All six men are charged with murdering Mr Singh. The court heard the accused were at a birthday party, drinking at a garage, when they ran out of alcohol.

They discussed committing a robbery or a "runaway" and decided on what role each of them would play.

Ms Gray said Anitilea Chan Kee was the gunman and walked into the liquor store with a .22 rifle raised as he screamed, " freeze motherf****r, give us the money."

She said he shot Mr Singh in the abdomen at point-blank range in a calm and deliberate way. "He lined him up and pulled the trigger."

Before the shooting Myron Felise and Jason Naseri took alcohol and cigarettes from the store and took them outside to the others.

After Mr Singh was shot he sank, wounded, to the ground, but he was able to pass the till up to Anitilea Chan Kee. It contained about $4000.

The robbery took just 60 seconds from start to finish, the court heard.

Tino Felise, Eti Filoa and Walter McCarthy are also charged with robbing Mr Singh and Gurwinder Singh with a rifle.

A seventh man, Mefiposeta Chan Kee, 26, is accused of being an accessory after the fact of murder for allegedly tampering with evidence to enable Anitlea Chan Kee to avoid arrest.

Ms Gray said after the aggravated robbery the accused went back to a south Auckland house where they drank the alcohol taken from Mr Singh's store in a garage.

Fifty-four Crown witnesses are expected to be called during the trial which has been set down for five to six weeks.