December 24 2021
Two assailants burst into a Mt Roskill house and shot dead a young man and attacked two others with a machete. Video: NZ Herald / Hayden Woodward
A post-mortem examination is under way today for the young man shot dead at an Auckland house on Thursday night.
Two men armed with a gun and a machete burst into the house on Glass Rd in Mt Roskill, shooting and killing the 23-year-old and badly injuring two other men.
A source told the Herald as of yesterday there were no obvious suspects, although the victim and other household members were linked to the HFK gang.
More than 20 police staff are continuing today with the investigation, named Operation Husky, including canvassing the local area and examining the scene.
"It's Christmas Day and a family is grieving, and a community is distressed because of what has happened in their neighbourhood," Detective Inspector Scott Beard said.
"Despite it being a holiday, the investigation team is committed to understanding what occurred and identifying who is responsible."
The two injured men are still in hospital and are stable.
A cousin of the dead man's girlfriend yesterday described him to the Herald as "well loved" and a very strong person. "He was cheeky, very cheeky, but it was all love," a tearful Te Kahukoka-Rose Yelash told a reporter at the scene.
"He had our backs through everything, he just wanted the best for everyone," she said.
Yelash, 19, had introduced the pair a year ago at a bar. It had beenlove at first sight, she said, adding that she believed her cousin was in "a lot of pain".
Police at the scene of a homicide investigation after a man was shot and killed at an address at Glass Rd in Mt Roskill. Photo / Hayden Woodward
On Friday afternoon Beard said the attack was not random and it appeared the men were known to each other.
The pair had killed the 23-year-old and injured two men in their 30s and 50s with a machete. They had left the house on foot but it was not known if they had a car nearby.
"The investigation is still in its very early stages and we are still working to establish the full circumstances surrounding this attack and our priority is to identify these offenders as soon as we can."
It was too early to say if the attack was gang-related, he said. Beard couldn't confirm or deny a link to HFK but believed the street gang had been around the Avondale and Mt Roskill areas for some time.
Beard said extra police staff had been brought in to provide reassurance to people living in the area.
More than 20 police staff are continuing their inquiries today despite it being Christmas. Photo / Hayden Woodward
"We are aware that this can be traumatic for them and scary, and so we have a number of extra patrols in the area patrolling around. So if there's any incidents or issues, just call the police."
• Police encouraged anyone with information related to Operation Husky to come forward, either calling 105 or anonymously calling Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 and quoting file number 211224/4140.
