Police say two occupants of the erratically-driven vehicle attacked Kyle Whorrall, 33, while he was sitting alone at a bus stop in Meadowbank on Saturday night.
Whorrall was struck with a “long” weapon at around 10pm, suffering multiple head injuries, and later died in hospital.
Herald graphic on US student Kyle Whorrall's death.
“He did nothing wrong,” said Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin yesterday. “He was sitting at a bus stop. And it’s a senseless attack. And we are determined to hold those people to account.”
Police said they had pieced together “snippets” of the incident from witness accounts and video footage from a passing bus and shopping centre.
Whorrall, who lived nearby, had bought groceries at a Woolworths supermarket on Gerard Way about 9.40pm, which was part of his usual routine.
Auckland University student Kyle Whorrall was attacked at a bus stop and died later in hospital.
He then walked about 400m up St Johns Rd to the bus stop, which took around five or six minutes.
About 9.50pm, a white Toyota ute was cut off by a black SUV which was doing a U-turn. Footage from a passing bus captured an image of Whorrall sitting at the bus stop and the two vehicles.
It was not his usual bus stop and it was not yet known why he was there - he did not flag any buses. Baldwin said he might have been sheltering from stormy weather.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin speaking to the media regarding the ongoing homicide investigation. Photo / Michael Craig.
Friends and former colleagues said Whorrall, who studied entomology, was known for scouring the streets at night for insects and may have been doing so on Saturday night.
About 10pm, the SUV parked at the bus stop, facing the wrong direction. Two occupants got out of the car and attacked Whorrall for about 30 seconds before speeding in their car towards Remuera.
“The victim was subjected to a senseless attack, leaving him with multiple head injuries,” Baldwin said. “No one should be subjected to the appalling level of violence that the victim suffered on Saturday night.”
Police launched a homicide investigation following the incident which happened about 10pm on St Johns Rd. Photo / Alex Burton.
The occupants of the white ute were “critical” witnesses and police were appealing for them to come forward, while emphasising they were not suspects in the investigation. They could be able to confirm how many people were in the black vehicle, or might have captured the car’s number plate.
While footage had been captured of the black SUV, it was not clear enough to identify a number plate. The weapon used by the attackers had not been found.
The hunt for the attackers is now a major police exercise, with detectives called back from holiday to assist.
“In shock”
Whorrall moved to New Zealand from the United States about four years ago to study for his PhD in entomology at the University of Auckland.
He was based at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, which has an office in St Johns about 3km from where he was attacked.
Kyle Whorrall, 33, died after being attacked at a bus stop on St Johns Rd in Meadowbank.
Whorrall was studying a highly specialised area of entomology and was invited to New Zealand to research his doctorate. Colleagues said he had nearly completed his thesis and was working overtime to finish it. His supervisor told the Herald it was too soon for him to comment.
Those who knew Whorrall said he was kind, thoughtful and deeply interested in his science.
A former teacher in California described his death as “awful news”.
“One of our former UCR undergrad students, Kyle Whorrall, who was working on his dissertation ... in New Zealand, was killed in an assault at a bus stop in Auckland this past weekend,” he posted on Facebook.
“I’m sure all of his friends, family, and colleagues are in shock, as I am. Senseless and tragic.”
Whorrall was a member of the New Zealand Entomological Society of New Zealand, which described him as an expert on Coleoptera, or beetles.
The University of Auckland has said it would not release details while an investigation is underway, at the police’s request. Landcare also declined to comment.
The US Embassy has confirmed it is aware of the death and was providing support to the family.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
