Attribute to Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin:
Police are continuing to piece together the events that led to a man’s death after being assaulted in Saint Johns, Auckland, on Saturday night.
Emergency services were called to a bus stop on St Johns Road shortly before 10pm on Saturday, following reports a person had been attacked by at least two offenders.
The victim was transported to hospital in a critical condition, where he died from his injuries.
The victim is a 33-year-old Caucasian man; efforts are continuing to formally identify the man, but we believe we know who he is, and are in contact with next of kin. We will be working with them through this process and keeping them informed of any developments.
A post-mortem is scheduled to begin today.
We believe there are members of the public who may hold crucial information that can help us.
Police urgently want to speak with anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area, around a bus stop near 69 St Johns Road, between 9 and 10pm. We especially need to hear from any motorists who have dashcam footage from around that area.
Investigators are continuing to gather and review CCTV and track the victim’s movements throughout the course of Saturday. At this stage we believe that there are two assailants, and while they are not yet identified, someone will know who these people are.
Please do the right thing and contact Police.
The motive for this attack is not yet clear. We are keeping an open mind as to what may have happened in the moments before the attack, and the events preceding it. We also do not know if the victim was waiting for a bus at the time he was attacked, or whether he was taking shelter from the storm. Again, information or footage from the public is crucial to helping us understand that.
The scene examination on St Johns Road has been completed, and a large investigation team is continuing the work to answer the many questions around this tragic event.
If you can help us, please get in touch with us.
Even a small piece of information, which you might think is insignificant, could be the missing puzzle piece we need to hold these offenders to account.
If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please make a report via 105, using the reference number 250419/9858.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre