Third murder charge follows Auckland street killing

Police have found a shotgun and charged a third man with murder 11 days after a teenager died in a street fight in the Auckland suburb of Otahuhu.

Haruru Pekepo, 19, died almost instantly when he was hit in the neck by a shotgun blast during a fight involving about 20 people on July 16. Another man was hit in the arm by a shotgun blast but his injuries were not life-threatening.

Two people, aged 20 and 16, were charged jointly with murder last week and last night the third man, a 22-year-old, was also jointly charged with murder.

Two others, aged 18 and also arrested last night, were charged with being an accessory after the fact of murder.

All three were due to appear in Manukau Youth Court today.

Police said today they found a shotgun last night believed to have been used in the killing in a house in Otara.

The two first charged with the joint murder of Mr Pekepo were due back in court next week in a bid to be released on bail.

Their bail application was refused when they appeared in court last week.

None of the murder accused can be named because they appeared in the Youth Court.

- NZPA