Forensic staff pictured at the Matthews Cres property on Sunday. Photo/File
Forensic staff pictured at the Matthews Cres property on Sunday. Photo/File
A 17-year-old shot multiple times as he try to shield a woman from gunfire in their Hamilton home has been transferred to a new hospital.
The daughter of senior Mongrel Mob gang member Mark "Griff" Griffiths, Kahlee Marfell, was shot in the leg, while her partner Robert Nelson was killedduring the shooting at their Matthews Cres, Melville, home about 1am on Sunday.
Griffiths' 17-year-old nephew was also shot four times at close range - twice in the torso, head and shoulder - and is currently fighting for his life.
He was yesterday transferred from Waikato Hospital to Auckland Hospital's intensive care unit where he remains in a critical condition.
The cause of the move remains unclear but a hospital spokeswoman said it did sometimes occur as "different ICUs can provide more specialist treatment in an area".
As Marfell recovers from surgery to her legs - the force of the bullet went through the side of one leg and into the other - in hospital, her father is now faced with the possibility of finding his family a new home.
A source said it was unlikely they would want to return to the house where Nelson was killed as it could further put their lives put in danger, as Griffiths tries to keep a low profile to protect his family.
Forensic staff pictured at the Matthews Cres property on Sunday. Photo/File
Griffiths was in his bedroom when the attack occurred and was uninjured but has been left scarred by the events.
Meanwhile, police were not commenting further about the investigation when approached today.
When asked about whether police were prepared for any possible retribution a police spokeswoman said they would not comment.
Their investigations into what happened continued.
Gang researcher and sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert said he didn't want to speculate on whether retribution could be possible as there were still too many variables as to whether it was gang-related or not.
"It all just depends because we don't know enough facts about what happened. Could it be inter-related or intra-related between the gangs ... it maybe an individual or maybe a family issue. There are so many factors at play."
He said if it was gang-related the leaders would be working to ensure that justice was dealt with "through the proper channels" - letting police do their job.
Crown prosecutor Ross Douch, left, talks with Hamilton detectives at the scene on Wednesday. Photo/Jason Oxenham
As with deaths involving any family, there were high emotions and grieving family members, and he said people needed to be able to go through that process.
He said violence between gangs had decreased dramatically over the years "because people know from experience where they head to and people want to avoid that if they can".
Nelson's sister Erin earlier said her family believed the attack was random or a case of mistaken identity. She stressed her brother was an "innocent person caught in the crossfire".
The family have since been preparing for his Nelson's funeral at Hamilton Cemetery on Saturday afternoon.
It's understood Marfell, who celebrates her 21st birthday at the end of the month, will unlikely be able to make her partner's farewell.
A large crowd is expected to say goodbye to the budding chef who had a promising career ahead of him working at Keystone Restaurant with his sister Erin. His mother Dannette Vrijs and younger brother Koenraad Nelson all worked at restaurants owned by the Lawrenson Group.
A Givealittle page had managed to raise nearly $7000 to help pay for his funeral and alleviate costs that continue to build for the family.
