Audio of the moment a person was fatally shot has emerged. Video / Supplied
Police continue to remain in the dark in their search for the alleged killer of a Pakuranga grandfather who was gunned down two weeks ago.
When asked about the latest in their search for the shooter of Tuipulotu Kokohu Vi, a police spokesperson said, “[there were] nofurther updates at this stage [and] the Police investigation remains ongoing.”
He was described as a kind, church-going man who doted on his grandchildren. Friends and neighbours have expressed disbelief that anyone would want to harm him.
The funeral notice said the Vi family wanted to express their “sincere gratitude” to everyone who had supported them during their time of loss.
Saia Kokohu Vi, was allegedly shot dead inside a vehicle on Marvon Downs Ave.
A Marvon Downs Ave neighbour told the Herald the crack of the bullets sounded like “they were just outside [her] window”.
“I ran outside and saw our next-door neighbour’s courier van had driven into our neighbour’s fence,” she said.
“As soon as I saw that, me and my partner ran over to see if he was still alive and if we could save him, but he was already gone.”
Both the van’s passenger and driver’s side windows had been smashed, apparently by gunfire, other witnesses said.
Police at the scene of a fatal shooting incident on Marvon Downs Avenue in Pakuranga. The white van is a focus of the investigation
New Zealand Herald photograph by Jason Oxenham 19 August 2024
The shooting victim was a courier driver, grandfather, dog walker and churchgoer, originally from Tonga, according to family, friends and neighbours.
A member of the Vi family who answered the door at his home said she didn’t know why anyone would want to hurt their grandfather.
“He is a grandfather, and a loving grandfather. He was a very hard worker and just a very loving person overall. He committed his life to the ministry of God.”
The Herald understands he lived with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren.
The neighbour who rushed to Vi’s aid immediately after the shooting said Vi would often wave as he walked his dog, and described him as a “homebody” who loved his grandchildren.
Family members also praised him on social media as a kind and smiling man.
His son and daughter – who lived with her father – are facing serious charges of money laundering and drug importing.
The woman’s partner, who is also facing charges, also lives at the Pixie Place address and has worked as a courier driver.
The 33-year-old son was on bail at a North Shore address that was targeted in a similar shooting earlier last month, as previously revealed by the Herald.
He was living at a property on Rambler Cres that was sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting in the North Shore suburb of Beach Haven around 6.30am on July 23.
He is facing serious drug importing and money laundering charges laid in Operation Worthington, as an alleged client of a Chinese money laundering syndicate.
