Attributable to Inspector Marty Gray, Otago Coastal Area Commander:
First of all I’d like to extend our condolences to the family of the young woman who died earlier this morning.
It’s the news no parent wants to hear. They live outside of Dunedin and have been told of their daughter’s death this morning, and are being offered support by Police and Victim Support.
Police received a call just before midnight last night, requesting assistance at breaking up a party at a house on Dundas Street.
Police units have attended, and on arrival have discovered a number of people already leaving the property.
From what we have been able to establish so far, there may have been several hundred people in attendance.
In attempts to leave, a number of people have been injured, two seriously, and sadly one woman has passed away from her injuries.
Police’s role now is to help determine what exactly has occurred.
This includes an examination of the scene, gathering information from people who were present at the party, and making a number of other inquiries.
We’re also working closely with the Vice Chancellor, and the Proctor, to develop a community reassurance plan around what’s happened.
There are a lot of people who were present and in our student community who may have been affected by this, and we’d encourage them to please seek support, whether through Victim Support or other agencies.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre