Father of Waitārere Beach shooting victim Stacey Johnston expresses anger as new details emerge about night of Ben Timmins’ death

The Herald can reveal fresh details about the night of a Waitārere Beach family shooting. The man who died, Ben Timmins, was allegedly stabbed in self-defence by one of his wife’s two sons after he opened fire on them with a handgun shortly after midnight on January 14, sources have claimed. The father of the woman shot, Stacey Johnston, has spoken to Tom Dillane about his frustration over the lack of protection for his family.

Laurie Johnston still can’t fathom how his daughter and two grandsons were shot by his son-in-law, Ben Timmins, just days after he was arrested over a family violence incident.

“The whole ordeal should never ever have happened. My daughter and the two boys, we had to get them out of there and up to my place,” Johnston says of Timmins’ January 9 arrest.

“They stayed with us for quite some time and we were told that she had a protection order and everything else.

“She goes home. Days later, they get shot.”

Just after midnight on January 14, the Herald understands Timmins, 60, is alleged to have opened fire on his wife Stacey Johnston and her two sons in a property in the town of Waitārere Beach, about 70km south of Whanganui.

One of the two young men, who were aged 17 and 21, is then understood to have fatally stabbed Timmins allegedly in self-defence.

Laurie Johnston said Timmins used a handgun and praised the actions of his grandson to prevent a greater tragedy.

“As far as I’m concerned, that young fella should get a bloody medal.”

Manawatū area commander Inspector Ross Grantham said police were called to the property about 7.15pm on January 13 after someone reported discovering what they believed to be a firearm on the property.

Police then located and seized a dismantled firearm, firearms parts and ammunition, but nobody residing at the property held a firearms licence, Grantham said.

Five hours later, emergency services responded to a reported shooting at the property.

Johnston expressed exasperation that his son-in-law could return to the Waitārere Beach Rd property a second time after the protection order was in place.

“They were assured that they would be protected. He was not allowed on the property, not allowed in the bloody main road,” Laurie Johnston said of his understanding of the protection order in place.

Timmins’ sister has also told the Herald he was not allowed at the Waitārere Beach Rd property as part of his bail conditions.

Laurie Johnston claims that when Timmins was arrested related to the family violence incident on January 9 he had threatened violence against his wife and her two sons as he was taken away.

Police prepare to remove a body from a property on Waitārere Beach Rd after a shooting that left a man dead and three others in hospital. Photo / Mike Scott

Police have confirmed Johnston and her two sons have been released from hospital and are continuing to recover. The trio spent weeks in critical condition, as police waited to speak with them about the night of the shooting.

This week, Detective Inspector Craig Sheridan said: “We can also confirm they have been interviewed by police, as part of our inquiries.”

Timmins’ and Johnston’s 9-year-old daughter was also present during the shooting but was unharmed. She made a 111 “non-speech emergency call” shortly after midnight to alert authorities.

Laurie Johnston said she was clearly traumatised by her exposure to such violence but, with a naturally quiet disposition, it was hard to tell to what extent.

“She’s a quiet wee thing. She doesn’t make any noises,” he said.

The grandfather was also hopeful the injured trio would make a full physical recovery but said it would be a slow process.

“They’re out of hospital but they’re not out of the woods.

“Stacey’s doing well, but she’s got a hell of a long way to go. She was very traumatised. [But] she’s coming on leaps and bounds.”

Johnson said he and his wife had visited his daughter and Timmins fairly recently because they were concerned about the state of their relationship.

“My wife and I went down and had a bit of a discussion with them, a little bit before all this happened.

“And we were concerned that things were going to fall apart and then they turned around and said, ‘no, no, everything’s sorted out’.”

Laurie Johnston said the ordeal has had a huge emotional impact on him and the entire family.

“I’ll tell you what, it shattered me. That’s for bloody sure, yeah.”

Timmins was due in court on the day of his death, January 14, over the two alleged family harm-related incidents days earlier.

The Herald earlier revealed Timmins had an extensive history before the courts that spanned drug and firearm convictions, as well as several employment disputes.

Court documents show seven different litigations initiated by Timmins since 2006. These documents are often appeals of other historical convictions, such as possession of a firearm without a licence in 1996.

Timmins also initiated several Employment Relations Authority cases against his employers.

In 2019, he was convicted for cultivation of cannabis, unlawful possession of ammunition and theft. Among several illegal items found at Timmins’ Whanganui property were 58 cannabis plants and 204 rounds of ammunition.

The sister of Benjamin Timmins, Rachel O'Grady, and other family members hold a karakia at a Waitārere Beach Rd property after a family shooting last month. Photo / Mike Scott

Timmins also spent time as a security contractor in Iraq, after serving in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment from 1987-95.

Last week, the Herald revealed the “provisional opinion” of the pathologist who did the autopsy on Timmins was that he died by a stab wound to the chest.

Initial police statements were that all four people involved were shot.

Timmins’ sister, Rachel O’Grady, has defended her brother as someone who was in a challenging relationship with his wife and whose history before the courts was because of a fixation on fighting injustice.

“There’s a nuance to Ben but when it comes to others’ safety, others’ protection, others’ lives, 100% he’s making sure that ball rolls safely. He definitely has not been as safe about his own life,” O’Grady said.

“He’s always felt if you’re going to do something, then do it right. And yes, it may have not seemed that way in some of his personal decisions and choices.”

Ben Timmins and his sister Rachel O'Grady. Timmins was killed in a shooting at Waitārere Beach in which three others were critically injured on January 14, 2026. Photo / Facebook

O’Grady spent that last weekend with her brother working through court papers and options in Whanganui after the family harm charges he faced.

In light of the police clarification that Timmins died by stabbing, O’Grady expressed frustration with the lack of information and false narratives she believed were left to fester.

“While we acknowledge the magnitude of this investigation and the time it takes to work through the evidence and statements, we believe that irreparable damage has been done to Ben’s reputation.

“We knew, when we saw Ben, that he’d not been shot, nor that his wound was self-inflicted. This was backed up by the provisional post-mortem report we received on the 17th.

“As a family, we have been frustrated that this had not been corrected earlier. Their [police’s] release does not unequivocally state his manner of death, still leaving some room for doubt. We are frustrated at the lack of transparency.”

When pressed on the possibility of charges following Timmins’ death, Detective Inspector Sheridan said the investigation to understand the events that occurred “remains ongoing”.

“In doing so we have to consider the integrity of the investigation. We also have obligations to investigate all aspects of the incident on behalf of the coroner and adhere to the coronial process,” Sheridan said.

“While we acknowledge it is frustrating, factors such as these prevent us from publicly confirming or releasing further details at this time.”

Tom Dillane is an Auckland-based journalist covering local government and crime as well as sports investigations. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is a duty editor and senior reporter.

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