Ponsonby fatal shooting: Suspect Hone Kay-Selwyn found dead near Taupō, victim had no links to Killer Beez shooter

• The victim of the Ponsonby Rd shooting has been named as Robert Sidney Horne.
• Gunman Hone Kay-Selwyn was found dead this morning in a rural property near Taupō.
• Police say Kay-Selwyn was a member of Killer Beez gang.
• The victim had no links to Kay-Selwyn or any organised crime, police say.

About 12 cars full of men dressed in black, some with their faces covered, have arrived at the rural property where the Ponsonby Rd gunman was found dead yesterday.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry told media Hone Kay-Selwyn, 31, was found dead in a Broadlands property near Taupō by an associate while police were on their way to speak to him.

His death is being treated as unexplained, Barry said.

The property is 7km from Taupō and multiple police cars have been at the property since early this morning.

A convoy of cars has arrived at the rural property where the suspect in the Ponsonby shooting has been found dead. Photo / Andrew Warner

About 11am, a convoy of high-end vehicles arrived at the address with dozens of people inside.

Some of the occupants of the vehicles were spoken to by police upon arrival.

A convoy of cars has arrived at the rural property where the suspect in the Ponsonby shooting has been found dead. Photo / Andrew Warner

A neighbour heard police sirens at the address this morning about 5am.

Police put out a warrant to arrest Kay-Selwyn for unlawful possession of a firearm yesterday after a man was shot dead on Ponsonby Rd at 10.15pm on Sunday night.

Police outside the cabin where the body of Hone Kay-Selwyn (inset) was found. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

The victim has been named as 33-year-old Robert Sidney Horne, a hard-working drainlayer with a big heart, a colleague said.

Horne had been with a group of people at the time of the shooting outside a bar on Ponsonby Rd.

Barry said there was no relationship between Kay-Selwyn, who was a member of the Killer Beez gang, and the victim and his associates.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry talks to media after the suspected gunman was found dead. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The victim and his associates, to the best of police’s knowledge, had no association with any criminal group, Barry said.

“We are supporting the victim’s family who are understandably devastated. We hope to release details of the victim today.”

Partner’s remorse

As police hunted for Hone Kay-Selwyn, a woman claiming to be his partner expressed her remorse over the incident.

The woman reflected on the fatal shooting on social media.

“My inbox is overflowing with messages concerning Hone’s [alleged] actions [on Sunday] night in Ponsonby,” the woman said.

“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim. I’m deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about the situation.

“I’m still grappling with the fact that Hone [allegedly] took someone’s life.”

Hone Kay-Selwyn, the man wanted by police after the Ponsonby Rd shooting, with his alleged partner.

Her social media post has since been deleted.

Kay-Selwyn had been in court in the past: He first appeared in the Waitākere District Court in May 2020 on a charge of assault with intent to injure.

In June 2020, he appeared again after breaching bail.

And in December 2020, he appeared in the Waitākere District Court for breaching community detention conditions.

It remained unclear what resulted from these charges. A police spokesman told the Herald to approach the court for further information on historical matters. He confirmed Kay-Selwyn was not on bail at the time of Sunday’s homicide.

The Herald has exclusive footage of Kay-Selwyn immediately after the shooting, showing him calmly walking away from the crime scene and talking on his cellphone.

Kay-Selwyn walks into the camera’s frame at 10.17pm, two minutes after the shots were fired.

He glances back at the scene multiple times but continues walking south towards Richmond Rd.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry with images of Hone Kay-Selwyn, who had been wanted by police after the shooting on Ponsonby Rd on Sunday. Photo / Dean Purcell

It was the second publicly available footage of the man from Sunday night after police released photographs of Kay-Selywn standing outside a pizza shop.

Kay-Selwyn was of a large build, with short dark hair, a moustache and a beard along his jawline.

He had a tattoo on his left forearm that appeared to read “Forever”, and he was wearing a manbag - where police said he was likely carrying his gun - and distinctive jewellery. He had a bracelet on his right arm, a watch on his left, and a very large, square-shaped signet ring on his left ring finger.