Homicide investigations are continuing after shootings which are being linked to gang activity. Video / NZ Herald
Police are still hunting for the killer or killers of Charles Pongi, gunned down in an Auckland reserve during a planned gang scrap that spiralled out of control, but a detective says the investigation is making good progress.
Patched Head Hunter Pongi, 32, was shot on August 5 after whatwas meant to be a one-on-one fight between an associate of the Head Hunters and a member of the 36 Crips street gang at a Pt England park, supported by their respective entourages, spiralled into an all-in brawl culminating in the shooting.
At least 20 shots were fired following the afternoon affray. Pongi and a senior member of the Rebels motorcycle gang, said to have been supporting the Crips member, were later admitted to hospital.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin, of Auckland City CIB, told the Herald this week the investigation continues to progress well.
While no arrests had been made, police are making progress piecing together what happened in the reserve a little over three months ago, he said.
“Police remain committed to holding those responsible to account, however there is still a significant amount of material and evidence to work through,” Baldwin said.
As part of the investigation, police were still reviewing all the information they had been supplied, including CCTV footage.
Charles Pongi died after he was shot in Pt England on August 5.
At least 20 shots can be heard after the peaceful weekend afternoon was punctured first by angry shouting, then by gunfire.
Residents peered through their windows to watch as two groups of men, around a dozen on each side, bolted in opposite directions.
After the shots ring out, two men can be seen punching and kicking someone on the ground, until a fourth man runs over to help.
The pair scarper, shots still ringing out, while their victim gets to his feet and limps away.
Later that day, he took himself to Auckland City Hospital, where he later died from gunshot injuries. He was a member of the East chapter of the Head Hunters motorcycle gang.
Across town, a member of the Rebels motorcycle gang turned up at Middlemore Hospital also suffering gunshot wounds.
Fears of further escalating violence sparked by the shooting are yet to eventuate.
Police at the scene of the shooting on August 5 in Pt England. Photo / Hayden Woodward
The Herald understands the shooting of Pongi was the fatal conclusion of a personal beef between rival street gang figures started by a Facebook rant.
About a month earlier, an associate of the Head Hunters had allegedly posted a threatening message on social media about the leader of the Crips Family, a street gang also known as 36 (C being the third letter of the alphabet, F the sixth).
The post led to back-and-forth threats until both men agreed to settle their differences via a fistfight at the park.
They arranged to meet at Taurima Reserve on Saturday afternoon with their supporters in tow.
Among the respective entourages were members of the Head Hunters while members of the Rebels, who have ties to the 36 Crips in Māngere, were standing on the other side.
Early in the investigation, armed police raided the Rebels MC pad in Ōtāhuhu, which Baldwin described as a “location of interest”.
Police are asking for anyone with information to supply it via their online portal or by calling 105, quoting file number 230805/0100.
