Friend Robert Morgan described Enoka as having “potential to turn people for the better”.
Police said the people involved knew each other and were connected to gangs, but there was no information to suggest retaliation would occur
Police do not believe there are risks of gang retaliation after a man was fatally shot in the street in Lower Hutt yesterday.
Albert Enoka, 39, died from his injuries as police and members of the public tried to save his life about 3.20pm on Tuesday.
Police were just minutesaway when another man allegedly shot him after a verbal altercation, but despite arriving on the scene within five minutes of the shooting, they did not see the shooter or his associates and could not save Enoka.
District manager of criminal investigations, Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel, told media this afternoon the shooter is described as being about 30with a large build and full facial tattoos covering his whole face, including forehead, cheeks and chin.
Police were quick to recover the getaway car yesterday - a black 2008 Mercedes Saloon, registration KRP453 - but have not found the gun used in the attack.
Detective Inspector John Van Den Heuvel speaks to media about the homicide investigation. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
The car was found at a property on Judd Cres, and police want to hear from anyone who saw it yesterday, Van Den Heuvel said.
The shooter is believed to have left with other gang associates.
While police were still working to figure out what had happened, “this does appear though to be an incident between known parties who are gang associates or gang members”.
“So you’re asking if there’s likely to be any retaliation? We don’t see any information to lead us to believe that.”
When asked whether police knew if the victim and attacker belonged to different gangs or the same gang, Van Den Heuvel said “we know the people involved have links to gangs and we’re still trying to unravel exactly what that looks like.”
He said police don’t yet know what the motive was for the shooting.
He urged anyone with information “big or small” to speak to police.
The body was removed from the street about 11.30pm and a blessing was performed by local iwi.
Van Den Heuvel said police are not in a position to release the victim’s name, but the Herald understands it is Albert Enoka, also known as Alby.
Police launched a homicide investigation after the former Rebels gang president was found critically injured on the street and was unable to be saved by members of the public and emergency services staff at the scene.
Today, police cordoned off a property along the street and could be seen working down the driveway, with a blue tent set up at the end.
Enoka received a 10-year prison sentence, which he later successfully appealed down to eight years and five months.
Albert Enoka, also known as Alby, died yesterday after being shot in Lower Hutt.
The appeal hinged on whether the court had given him enough of a discount for assistance he offered authorities, the details of which are suppressed.
Friend Robert Morgan said he had only known Enoka “since he got out early this year”.
“What I knew of him wasn’t so different from everyone else.”
Morgan, who was Enoka’s barber when he was released from prison, said although Enoka had a “colourful past” he was also “a gentle soul”.
He said Enoka’s whānau line would not be described as gentle, but in their time together Enoka reflected more on change “than jumping back on the gangster life”.
“Some may have known him for years but not truly know him because of what he represented in front of their eyes, but only a few will know from what he represented in front of their hearts.”
Morgan said he was sad to hear of Enoka’s death, and felt a mixture of sadness and anger at how he had died.
Police have cordoned off a property on Seddon St in Naenae. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
He said he would miss Enoka’s presence.
“He had potential to turn people for the better.”
Armed police guarded Seddon St yesterday and were turning away traffic during the school rush.
One woman said they arrived home and were told by police to “get inside and stay inside”.
She said everybody on the street saw Enoka’s body, and she was concerned for her kids as they were getting home from school.
“It’s a sad turn of events,” she said.
Another woman, who said she had lived on Seddon St “forever”, was out the back of her property when she heard sirens and assumed the incident was further away.
When she eventually came out front she was told by police to go back inside.
The woman said what happened was “incredible” and she was “shocked”.
“It’s sad, really, I’m still shocked about it,” she said today.
Police remained at the scene of a shooting in Lower Hutt this morning. Photo / Melissa Nightingale
A large group of Enoka’s family were gathered on the street outside her home last night when she went to bed. She said she spoke briefly to them and was told they were from Wainuiomata.
Another resident said the broad daylight attack was “just something to process, I guess”.
Police yesterday said the incident would have caused “great concern” for nearby residents and the wider Naenae community.
“We will have an increased presence in the area in the coming days to provide reassurance,” a spokesperson said.
Police want to hear from anyone who has information that could help the investigation.
A video of the scene, posted to social media, shows police, ambulances, and fire engines in the area, with armed police officers manning cordons.
Anyone with information can contact police via 105. The investigation is called Operation Ratio and the file number is 2412103356.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice, and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
