Police were called to the property in Moerewa around 12.20am to find the victim unresponsive. Photo / File
Police were called to the property in Moerewa around 12.20am to find the victim unresponsive. Photo / File
A teenager has been fatally stabbed overnight in Moerewa - the fifth homicide in New Zealand in a week.
Northland Police have launched a homicide inquiry after the 18-year-old, named as Krillan Koni Brown, was killed at a house in the Far North town, close to the Bay of Islands.
Police and ambulance were called to a Snowdon Ave address around 12.20am where Brown was found unresponsive.
Despite attempts to revive him, he died at the scene, police said in a statement. A number of young people had been at the address before he was killed.
A scene guard was in place with police remaining at the scene this morning. Inquiries were ongoing to locate the person responsible, police said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell said investigators would like to speak to people who were at the Snowdon Ave property last night.
"There were a number of young people at a gathering at the address, and as part of our inquiries we would like to speak to anyone who was there who has not yet spoken to us," he says.
Anyone who was at the property last night is asked to contact police on 105, either online or over the phone, and quote job number P042477664.
In the past week, there have been five homicides in New Zealand.
They come on top of a month of mayhem in which a string of deadly attacks contrasted starkly with the relative calm of the Covid-19 lockdown.
The country had seen relatively few fatal, violent incidents during lockdown, which finished on April 27.
But since May 1 the Herald has counted 12 alleged murders - a deadly lurch forward after the country recorded its lowest homicide rate for 40 years in 2018.
That year, seven people were killed for every million in our country, for a total of 35 deaths. Last year's figures were skewed by the tragedy of March 15.
June 5 Hamilton: A person is killed at 8 Slim St in Hamilton. Police are seeking the public's help finding the killer and have asked for anyone seeing people or vehicles leaving the house between 5.30pm and 5.45pm to make contact.
June 7 Moerewa: Man fatally stabbed. Police and ambulance called about 12.20am and found an 18-year-old unresponsive. Despite attempts to revive him, he died at the Snowden Ave scene.
