Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner talks to media in an appeal for witnesses to a homicide in Ohauiti. Photo/George Novak.
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner talks to media in an appeal for witnesses to a homicide in Ohauiti. Photo/George Novak.
UPDATED 3.54pm: The man found dead in Mansfield Street, Tauranga on Sunday morning has been formally identified as 19-year-old Takena Tiepa-Ranapia of Tauranga.
A post mortem has confirmed that he was the victim of an assault before he died.
For investigative reasons police will not be commenting on the natureof the injuries at this stage.
Tributes have already begun to flow online: "Rest in peace cuz, gone way way to soon!..."
At a press conference at the Tauranga Police Station Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said police would like Ohauiti residents to check their properties for any unusual items which could have been used as a weapon.
Police did not rule out gang involvement saying people who attended a near-by party and were believed to be involved in a separate stabbing were known to be associated with rival gangs.
"At this stage we are still establishing who was involved and it's too early to say but indications are that the people involved do wear different colours."
11:19am: The man found dead in Ohauiti walked half a kilometre after he was fatally injured, police say.
Police investigating the discovery of the body in Mansfield St, Tauranga yesterday morning said the scene examination indicated he walked for some distance following his suspected assault.
A blood trail leads from outside a Mansfield St address where a party was held on Saturday night. Click here to read the interview with the man who discovered the body on his front lawn.
It would appear he then walked along Mansfield St and Jane Way into the reserve before looping back to where he was discovered outside a second address Mansfield St address.
He would have covered a distance of approximately half a kilometre and police would like to speak to anyone who saw a man in this location in the early hours of the morning.
Police believe there is a link between the man's death and an assault on Ohauiti Rd near the intersection with Welcome Bay Rd. In this second incident a man suffered hand and facial injuries.
Police also believe that those responsible traveled to both locations in a vehicle and then left those locations in that vehicle a short time later.
The time which is the main focus of the police investigation is between midnight and 1am.
Police hope to complete the examination of the scene later today.
In the meantime a post mortem is underway this morning to establish exact cause of death.
Police would not be drawn as to the cause of the man's injuries at this stage.
Police expect to be able to release the name of the man who died this afternoon once the post mortem and formal identification have taken place.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tauranga Police on 07 577 4300. Information can also be provided anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
EARLIER: The body of a young man who was found dead on a Tauranga front lawn is expected to undergo a post mortem examination today.
Police expect to determine the man's cause of death following the examination but yesterday they announced the Ohauiti death was being treated a suspicious.
Scene guards were this morning stationed at the Mansfield St properties where the dead man was found and believed to have led a trail of blood after an incident in the neighbourhood.
Police remain at the scene of a homicide at a Mansfield Rd property in Tauranga. Photo/John Borren.
Police tape remain up, cordoning off sections of property and officers continue to speak to people in the area.
The young man is believed to have been in his late teens and from the wider Western Bay of Plenty.
Bayofplentytimes.co.nz will have the name of the dead man and all other details as information comes to light from this morning.
