Death cries shatter Omana park peace

By CATHY ARONSON and SCOTT MacLEOD

Christina Thompson was picnicking with her family on Sunday afternoon at Omana Regional Park when a loud howl rang over the sound of children playing nearby.

Faletoi Kei, 41, who was attending a picnic outing after church, had been stabbed by a Maori man he did not know in the carpark next to where his extended family were having a barbecue.

The Samoan group of about 20 often took Sunday outings after church and sometimes they went to Omana Park, near Maraetai, east of Auckland.

On Sunday, the group included Mr Kei's daughters, aged 17 and 6, and son, aged 14.

Mrs Thompson spoke of her shock at the murder in a quiet, recreational area. She was at the bottom of the park next to the beach and Mr Kei's family were playing in the reserve above.

"One minute the kids were laughing and playing and next minute there was an almighty howl from the carpark. Then everyone started running up the hill and crying and yelling. It was surreal, I've never heard that sort of sound before."

She ran up to the carpark and found Mr Kei lying in the arms of his wife on the ground next to her car.

"His wife was cradling his head but he was going."

A towel lay over his stab wound but a family member, who could not speak English, was indicating with a motion of his fist that Mr Kei had been stabbed.

Police have not found the weapon, but have ruled out reports that a Machete was involved.

Some family members saw the stabbing from a distance but the man they believe was the killer, in a light blue T-shirt and shorts, sped from the carpark in a late-model, light-coloured Holden Commodore.

Police want to hear of any sightings of the Commodore being driven erratically.

While family crowded around the dying Mr Kei, Mrs Thompson comforted his 14-year-old son.

"Everyone was running around crying and he was just sitting there staring in shock. I put my arm around him to comfort him. What else could I do?"

While her husband, Andy Thompson, phoned the police and ambulance and found the park ranger, a woman with medical training began to give Mr Kei mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But despite efforts by ambulance staff as well, he died at the scene.

Police sealed off the park and about six cars, including Mrs Thompson's, were locked in over- night. Forty police officers joined the hunt for the suspect and the weapon yesterday.

Mr Kei's death came as a shock to two people he worked with in his job driving buses.

A director of TK Tours, Thongyahn Keokotavong, said Mr Kei was a very nice man who often cracked jokes to children. He had worked with TK Tours for many years, but had had health problems and needed eye and stomach operations.

Mr Keokotavong learned only last night that his employee had been killed. "I couldn't understand it - I was shocked."

A woman at the firm who also knew Mr Kei described him as good-looking and "a very nice man, a happy man, a funny man".

Yesterday, Mrs Thompson stood at the edge of the carpark recalling the events of the afternoon before.

"I had just made the comment that it was such a beautiful place.

"Now all I can think of is that horrible noise of a man dying and a family grieving. I don't feel comfortable or safe to take my family back."

The Omana Park ranger of 18 years, Alf Marshall, said the park was a safe place to visit.

"It was a shock. Nothing like that has ever happened before."





Detective Senior Sergeant Geoff Jago said the murder was unprovoked and random. "A very ordinary family enjoying a Sunday afternoon together were the victims of a totally unprovoked random act of violence."