KEY POINTS:
The family of a grandmother fatally bashed during a home invasion are stunned by the violence she endured. Yin Ping Yang, 80, died yesterday afternoon at Middlemore Hospital surrounded by family, three days after the attack.
Last night her daughter, who asked not to be named, said they were still in shock and distraught. "We want our mum's killer caught," she said through a spokesperson.
Yang was admitted to Middlemore Hospital on Wednesday with serious internal injuries, including broken chest and rib bones.
Police have upgraded their investigation to a homicide inquiry but are no closer to identifying a suspect or motive. Detective Inspector Mark Gutry urged the public to come forward with any information before the attacker struck again.
Yang lived on Saralee Drive, Manurewa - a short walk from the liquor store where Navtej Singh was shot eight days ago - with her son Wang, his wife and their three adult children. Her son, who owns a nearby takeaway store, Seafood Express, found her collapsed on the living room floor about 10pm.
He drove her to Middlemore thinking she had fallen over but the following day she said she had been attacked and police were alerted.
Yang told police she was grabbed from behind before being assaulted and forced into a wardrobe. She escaped but collapsed on the floor where her son found her.
The attack was thought to have occurred at about 5pm.
She was not believed to have been sexually assaulted but an autopsy is due to be performed tomorrow.
Nothing is missing from the house and little is known about the attacker. Yang described him as a Maori aged between 30 and 40 who was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts.
Neighbour Nibal Racher told the Herald on Sunday she feared for her mother who stayed home alone during the day. "We will just have to keep our doors locked. We have an alarm and we have cameras here too but it's still not safe. I think if this happens again we will have to move."
National Party Asian relations spokeswoman Pansy Wong called the death an outrage. "As far as I'm concerned it is cold-blooded murder."
Wong said many migrants who had bought small retail businesses in the area felt particularly vulnerable.
"But in the case of Madam Yang, she was an 80-year-old woman in her own home... what could she have done to defend herself?"
Manurewa Community Board member Alan Johnson said while parts of the suburb were reasonably safe, others were "just awful".
Part of the problem was the number of liquor outlets.
"There is harm in those neighbourhoods as a result."
