AUCKLAND - Residents of a small West Auckland town have been warned to lock their homes and cars as police hunt for two armed and dangerous men involved in a home invasion killing.
At 8am today, 12 hours after he died, the body of a man was still lying where he
died at the Helensville house after he and the two hunted men arrived there about 8pm yesterday.
Police said details of the invasion and the killing were still not clear but said the three men were not welcome when they arrived.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Bush said the occupants did not know the dead man or the two hunted men. The dead man had been identified but not all his relatives had been told so his name would not be released for some time.
He said police did not know the two other intruders or what type of car they fled in.
The arrived about 8.00 pm at the house in Rimmer Rd.
Mr Bush said there was an altercation between one of the occupants and the intruders although he could not say which intruder.
"We are very keen to find the other two we believe are armed. We need to identify and find them as soon as possible."
It is believed the dead man was shot but how or why he died was still not clear, Mr Bush said.
The two men fled in a car but Mr Bush said no one had been able to give a detailed description of the car or the two men although they were thought to be a Maori and a European in their late teens or early 20s.
He said people in Helensville should take extra care to lock their cars and houses and immediately report any suspicious activity.
"We haven't discounted the fact that they may still be in the area," Mr Bush said.
Police later announced one of the occupants of the house was due to appear in Waitakere District Court today on a charge of possessing a firearm.
The occupant was in the house with his partner and two young children when the three armed intruders arrived last night.
- NZPA
