Police investigators at the scene of the shooting on Seaforth Rd. Photo / File
A 22-year-old has been convicted of manslaughter after shooting his "best friend" in the face at short range in a boastful demonstration last summer, having forgotten the gun was loaded.
In the High Court at Tauranga on Wednesday, Asha Carden Soole, 22, admitted killing Joshua Michael Louis Copestake on January4 with an illegally obtained shotgun.
The shooting happened in Waihi Beach, across the road from a holiday park packed with campers.
On the night of the shooting, he went to bed with his partner about 9.15pm after dinner and drinks at a friend's place.
The boarder came home and told them Copestake - a mutual friend - was coming around for drinks, so they got up and watched TV.
Copestake arrived about 9.40pm and he and the boarder went to get takeaways before going to a shed at the back of the property to eat and start drinking.
Soole
went to get the gun from
his bedroom, according to the documents.
"The defendant and the deceased spoke to each other through the open bedroom window.
"They discussed another group of individuals in the town with whom they had recently had issues.