Shot man to be identified today

Formal identification procedures were due today on the body of a man shot dead in a Kaitaia house yesterday.

The body remained in the house under police guard overnight following the shooting, which happened about 5.30pm yesterday in the small Far North town.

Police said today they and the family were sure of the identity of the man but the formal process of identification had to be done before details could be released.

A Kaitaia man, 44, was arrested last night and charged with murder and could appear before justices of the peace in the Kaitaia District Court today, but that had yet to be confirmed, Mr Gunn said.

Mr Gunn said he lived near the house and heard gunshots.

The body remained in the house overnight while police concentrated on the crime scene and finding the alleged killer.

"The priority was to get the baddie," he said.

"Now we start going through the full process -- ESR (Environmental Science and Research) scientists, forensic scene examination, a full examination."

The dead man was in his 30s.

- NZPA