“Do the right thing and speak up” NZ Police urge after Tongan shooting [1]
Monday, January 27, 2020 - 22:41. Updated on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 - 11:51.
New Zealand Police believe that there are members of the public who are keeping silent on what they know about the shooting death of a Tongan woman Meliame Fisi’ihoi two weeks ago, and are urging them to speak out.
“There will be people in the community that know who is responsible for this violent incident and they need to do the right thing and speak up”, said Acting Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers in a statement by the New Zealand Police.
The 57-year-old Tongan mother was found dead with gunshot wounds outside of her home in Manuaku, Auckland, in the early hours of 15 January. It is the second shooting incident to occur at the house in little over a month, and is widely rumoured to be gang related.
“We believe the Calthorp Close property has been specifically targeted because of people known to frequent the address”, said Det Insp Vickers.
“We have heard from a number people in the area, but we still need any witnesses or people with information to contact us”.
“There has been an increased Police presence in the area since last week and Police have been liaising with members of the community to discuss any concerns they may have.”
Last week, the residence was vandalized with gang graffiti and a woman was arrested. It has not yet been determined if the woman is connected to the homicide or just an opportunist seeking attention.