The Hutt Valley community is reeling after two deadly incidents in 24 hours, with Mayor Campbell Barry saying the events have come as “a real shock”.
Two people were killed in Naenae and Wainuiomata yesterday, less than 12 hours apart.
The first incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when a woman was killed in a hit-and-run on Naenae Rd.
Emergency services were called about 5.50am to the crash scene on Naenae Rd, between Riverside Drive North and Waddington Drive.
The driver of the vehicle did not stop and immediately left the area and, while police have found the vehicle, its driver is still on the run.
Hours later, at around 1pm, police shot and killed a man who was involved in a domestic dispute with a woman on Coast Rd in Wainuiomata.
Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry told NZME there had been “a lot of shock in the community” over the past 24 hours.
“These events are very unusual they don’t happen often but to have two in 24 hours is a real shock.”
He said the two families involved in the incidents were in his thoughts and that he understood wraparound support was being provided.
“I just want to also acknowledge the response of police in dealing with these tragic incidents as well. They’ve done an outstanding job.”
He said there was much more to investigate in both incidents, such as the exact circumstances of the Wainuiomata shooting and locating the driver of the vehicle from the Naenae hit and run.
“I know they’re doing everything they can to reassure the local community and work with different connections that both of these families have locally as well.”
At around 11.45am yesterday, police were called to an address on Coast Rd in Wainuiomata, where an agitated man had been seen “holding a weapon to a woman’s neck”.
Police staff attempted to negotiate with the man but he refused to back down and at around 1pm he was shot once by officers.
He was provided with immediate medical assistance but died at the scene.
The woman involved in the incident was not physically injured but was very shaken by the events.
“Police will be providing support as she is understandably shaken by what has occurred.”
Other members of the man’s immediate whānau were also present when he was killed and police described it as “a tragic outcome for all involved”.
“A fatal shooting is an outcome nobody wants and will have significant long-lasting impacts on the officers involved and their families,” a spokesperson for the police said.
“Those staff who attended are being supported by police wellness services and their colleagues.”
Several investigations are now underway, including a police critical incident investigation. The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Authority.
Police said the incident was not related to a fatal crash in nearby Naenae.
Police have found a stolen vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Lower Hutt on Wednesday, but they are yet to locate the driver.
The car involved was a dark grey Mazda 6 sedan that was stolen from an address in Belmont in the early hours of the morning.
It was found on Waddington Drive, Naenae, at 12.20pm.
Detective Inspector Haley Ryan urged the driver to come forward and report to police.
“The driver of that vehicle will know they have hit a person, and in all likelihood they will be panicking right now.”
Ryan also appealed to the public to contact police immediately if they have seen the car anywhere in Hutt Valley leading up to the tragedy or afterwards.
“We know the car has been driven around the Hutt Valley for several hours prior to this tragic incident. It was speeding and driving erratically and continued to do so after hitting the victim.
“Following the collision, the vehicle was seen to be smoking heavily and would have been showing visible damage. The way it has been driven would draw significant attention.”
The car was spotted on CCTV footage at the bottom of Wainuiomata Hill just minutes before the crash.
Anyone with information can contact police via 105 referencing case number 231116/3474.
The two deaths follow the killing of toddler Ruthless-Empire in Taita nearly four weeks ago, with still no charges laid in relation to who was responsible for his death.
On October 22, up to 12 hours after suffering severe injuries to his head, Ruthless-Empire Souljah Reign Rhind Shephard Wall arrived at Hutt Hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The toddler, now known as Nga Reo Te Huatahi Reremoana Ahipene-Wall, was living at a home in the Lower Hutt suburb of Taitā with his mother Storm Wall, Rosie Morunga and her partner Dylan Ross.
A homicide investigation is continuing with police also seeking sightings of a car involved in that case throughout the Hutt Valley and wider Wellington region.
The car is a grey-green Nissan sedan with the number plate TE6972 and all of the three persons of interest were in the car at the time it was driven to the hospital.
The car then returned to the address where they lived and items related to the investigation were removed, police said.
One of these items was a hard drive used to record CCTV footage from the property.
Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard confirmed to the Herald the hard drive was used to record CCTV footage from the property.
The hard drive is a Provision-ISR NVR5-8200PX+ DVR.
“We urge anyone with any information on the hard drive, or sightings of the vehicle to get in contact.”
Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.
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