Police are “well advanced” in planning around the upcoming funeral for a gang member who fatally shot a man in Ponsonby.
Teams around the wider Auckland area are monitoring and at the ready for any trouble as those close to the violent offender prepare to farewell him on Monday, the Herald understands.
Hone Kay-Selwyn shot Robert Horne dead on Ponsonby Rd on Sunday night.
Horne was not known to his killer.
Kay-Selwyn was found dead at a property near Taupō on Tuesday. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and the death had been referred to the Coroner.
Funeral preparations are underway for the gunman’s funeral. It is expected to attract a significant number of gang members.
Kay-Selwyn was a member of the Killer Beez gang.
Yesterday, around 20 of his fellow gang members waited outside the Rotorua Hospital mortuary for his body to be released.
A woman carrying a photo of the shooter was seen walking into the building.
A convoy of patched members then travelled to Auckland. It’s believed they planned to visit West Auckland, where the gunman lived.
It is understood Kay-Selwyn’s funeral will be held in South Auckland.
Members of the Killer Beez and rival gangs including the Head Hunters are expected to attend.
Police assured the public that work was being done to prevent any further incidents.
“Police planning is well advanced ahead of funeral arrangements for Hone Kay-Selwyn,” a spokesperson confirmed this afternoon.
“Our expectations on the standards of tolerable behaviour surrounding these events is very clear.”
The spokesperson said the movement of Kay-Selwyn’s body, and of his associates throughout the wider Auckland area overnight, were monitored.
“This included the deployment of police resource to monitor activity, including with support from the Police Air Support Unit, Eagle.
“Police will continue this through the weekend and we will continue to keep the public updated around this matter.”
This morning, RNZ revealed Kay-Selwyn had been deemed to carry a low risk of reoffending by the Corrections Department, after he assaulted someone in 2020.
Court documents show Kay-Selwyn was sentenced to five months’ community detention after assaulting a stranger at a Taupō strip club in 2020, where he was with his associates from the Killer Beez.
Before that, he had one conviction of possession of cannabis plants.
A report in relation to the assault said that given it was his second conviction, the risk of reoffending was low.
The report noted Kay-Selwyn was bullied in school and dropped out not long afterwards, joining the Killer Beez gang at the age of 14.
Kay-Selwyn told a probation officer he regretted his wasted years and wished he could go back to primary school and make changes.
How a resilient Kiwi village hopes to bounce back from a big drop in visitors.