December 24 2021
Two assailants burst into a Mt Roskill house and shot dead a young man and attacked two others with a machete. Video: NZ Herald / Hayden Woodward
Auckland 23-year-old Brian James has been named as the victim of Thursday's shooting in a Mt Roskill home.
James was shot dead in a Glass Rd house about 9.30pm after two offenders entered the property and an altercation broke out. Two other people received non life-threatening injuries and remained in stable conditions in hospital.
The offenders fled the scene and still hadn't been found.
A post mortem had been completed and James' body was back with his whānau.
A scene examination and area canvass by police continued at the address today.
On Friday, Beard said it was too early to say if the attack was gang-related.
"That's part of our investigation. We've heard that but we have no evidence."
Beard couldn't confirm or deny a link to HFK but believed the street gang had been around the Avondale and Mt Roskill areas for some time.
Police are encouraging anyone who can assist with information to come forward.
Information can be provided via 105, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting file number 211224/4140.
James had been working as a barber at Moe's Barber shop in Mt Eden for about six months, working alongside owner Moe Ball.
Ball had in fact dropped James home hours before he was killed at the Mt Roskill address. James had even asked Ball if he wanted to come inside, which Ball fortunately declined.
Barber shop owner Moe Ball posted this photo of James to the shop's Facebook page as a memorial to his former coworker. Photo / Supplied
While he hadn't known him long, Ball said he was surprised such an incident had happened, given James' kind nature.
"He was actually a gentle fella. He was quite a soft-spoken young fellow."
He said James was an "excellent barber", having cut hair since he was 17. It was only James and Ball working in the barber shop.
Te Kahukoka-Rose Yelash, the cousin of James' girlfriend, spoke outside the family home on Glass Rd on Friday, with tears rolling down to her chin, while a forensics team dressed in boiler suits continued their investigation inside the house and armed police guarded the scene.
"He was a very strong person and he was well loved. He was cheeky, very cheeky, but it was all love. He had our backs through everything, he just wanted the best for everyone," she said.
Yelash was in shock when her cousin messaged her on Friday morning, saying he was dead.
"I was trying to call her but she wasn't answering. I know why, she's in a lot of pain. That's why I came to the house because I thought they would be here but no, I turn up to this.
"I was the one who got them together, we went to the club and I saw the bro and because I knew him from way back, I pulled him over to dance and that's when he met her," Yelash said.
The last time Yelash saw her "cheeky friend" was about a month ago when he was begging her to come over for Christmas.
"And literally two days ago he was telling me again to come over for Christmas. We were going to have a family lunch and maybe a few beers after."
She said he was a great barber.
"He pushed me to do barbering and supported me, even when I wanted to give up because I was sh*t at fades but he would come and teach me," Yelash said.
"I just never expected anything like this."
The property where the incident occurred is owned by Kainga Ora, formerly Housing New Zealand.
Neighbours were told to lock themselves in their house as the incident unfolded on Thursday.
One resident of a nearby house told the Herald she had heard the police Eagle helicopter hovering at about 6pm.
"Dogs started barking, police sirens were going off and then an officer came running over telling us to lock ourselves inside," she said.
The woman, who didn't want to be named, said she'd been living at the property for 16 years and had never seen anything like this happen on the street before.
