Police investigate the scene at Taurima Reserve where Charles Pongi (inset) was shot and fatally wounded in broad daylight on Saturday last week. Photo / Hayden Woodward
The sun was shining at Taurima Reserve on Saturday afternoon, with trees casting long shadows over the grass.
With a modest playground, the park is small square of land boxed in by residential streets in the east Auckland suburb of Point England.
The peaceful weekend afternoon was punctured by angry shouting, then a more disturbing sound: gunfire.
Crack, crack, crack. Frightened residents called to their children, with some peering through their windows to watch as two groups of men, around a dozen on each side, bolted in opposite directions.
The gunfire keeps booming through the neighbourhood; at least 20 shots can be heard on a video seen by the Weekend Herald. In the middle of the park, just three men are left.
Two men can be seen punching and kicking someone on the ground, until a fourth man runs over to help. The pair scarper, shots still ringing out, while their victim gets to his feet and limps away.
Later that day, Charles Anthony Pongi took himself to Auckland City Hospital, where he later died from gunshot injuries. The 32-year-old was a member of the East chapter of the Head Hunters motorcycle gang.
Across town, a member of the Rebels motorcycle gang turned up at Middlemore Hospital also suffering gunshot wounds.
Close behind him was a platoon of balaclava-clad Rebels acting as bodyguards, should any Head Hunters turn up at the hospital to take revenge.
The death of Pongi is one of several fatal shootings around the country under investigation, fuelling concerns about ongoing gang and gun violence.
In particular, there are fears that the simmering tension between the Head Hunters and Rebels, two of the heavyweight outlaw motorcycle clubs, will boil over into a tit-for-tat war like other recent gang conflicts.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin has urged anyone who filmed the shooting - or the aftermath of individuals or vehicles leaving the area - on their phones or home security cameras to share the footage with police.
So far, just one person has been arrested: a Head Hunter for allegedly breaching the conditions of their electronically monitored bail while on active charges of manslaughter and drug dealing.
“This is by no means the end of the matter,” Baldwin said.
“Our investigation team is determined and are continuing to piece together the facts and are committed to holding those responsible to account.”
The Weekend Herald understands the shooting of Pongi was the fatal conclusion of a personal beef between rival street gang figures started by a Facebook rant.
About a month ago, an associate of the Head Hunters allegedly posted a threatening message on social media about the leader of the Crips Family, a street gang also known as 36 (C being the third letter of the alphabet, F the sixth).
The post led to back-and-forth threats until both men agreed to settle their differences the old-fashioned way: a fistfight at the park.
They arranged to meet at Taurima Reserve on Saturday afternoon with their supporters in tow.
Among the respective entourages were members of the Head Hunters while members of the Rebels, who have ties to the 36 Crips in Māngere, were standing on the other side.
But the agreed one-on-one fight soon spiralled into a massive melee. That’s when the guns came out, and Pongi was shot and a Rebel member was taken to hospital.
A Head Hunter being killed during a personal stoush involving affiliated street gangs but with members of the rival Rebels present does not necessarily mean a wider gang war must follow.
In fact, the police went so far as to describe the Taurima Reserve shooting as an “isolated incident” between groups who knew each other, and with no ongoing risk to the wider public.
However, the Weekend Herald is aware of tensions between the Head Hunters and the Rebels that mean Pongi’s death could escalate into retribution.
Until recently, the outlaw motorcycle clubs were on good terms. Members of both gangs would attend parties, or join motorcycle rides organised by the other.
The relationship soured when a member of the Rebels was seen wearing a patched leather vest with a “west” label on the front. This label is referred to as the “side rocker” and denotes the territory of a particular chapter of the gang: the Head Hunters have considered West Auckland to be their turf for more than 30 years.
This grievance led to talks between the Rebels and the west chapter of the Head Hunters.
The Weekend Herald understands Rebels Māngere president Ray Elise was at the meeting, as was his close friend, the 36 Crips leader involved in the Taurima Reserve fight.
However, the negotiations went nowhere and the Head Hunters soon issued an AOS (Attack on Sight) order to their members to assault any Rebels they crossed paths with.
The dispute boiled over last month at Sylvia Park, one of Auckland’s largest shopping malls.
A fight broke out between members of the Head Hunters and the Rebels in the mall’s food court during lunchtime, with witnesses describing one man brandishing a knife. Armed police swarmed Sylvia Park and two men with links to the Rebels were arrested.
The death of Pongi was a separate issue but with emotions running high, the problems could escalate the tension between the Rebels and the Head Hunters.
Both gangs have been involved in armed skirmishes in recent years, albeit with different rivals.
For the best part of the past two decades, the Head Hunters had real power in Auckland’s criminal underworld. It was once a ragtag bunch of teenage misfits with humble beginnings in Glen Innes in 1967, but over time built a reputation for never taking a backwards step.
Their propensity for violence allowed the Head Hunters to muscle their way into the methamphetamine trade, which exploded in the early 2000s, with members of the gang enjoying the fruit of their ill-gotten gains: money, power and influence.
The East chapter, based at 232 Marua Rd in Mt Wellington, began to grow. Once a tight-knit group of about 30, more than 300 East members now wear the flaming skull patch.
They spread across the country by muscling into rival gang territory in Northland and the Bay of Plenty, to the Wairarapa and Wellington, and even as far south as Christchurch.
But in recent years their dominance has been challenged by the arrival of Australian gangs, such as the Comancheros and Mongols, after senior members were deported as “501s” to New Zealand.
The Head Hunters have been involved in armed feuds with both of those gangs, in particular the Mongols, with the spiritual home of Marua Rd being sprayed with semi-automatic gunfire on several occasions.
Such an attack would have been unheard of 10 years ago. The most infamous episode of retaliation ended with a Head Hunter shooting at a Mongol associate (a former Head Hunter) inside a swanky Auckland hotel.
But until recently, the Heads have been on friendly terms with the Rebels.
The Rebels are considered one of Australia’s largest bikie gangs and criminal enterprises.
They set up shop in New Zealand more than a decade ago and their ranks have recently been bolstered by prominent 501 deportees.
Among their number are Mace Rayond Sitope, better known as Ray Elise, who was raised in South Auckland and later became president of the Rebels chapter in Victoria.
He set up the Rebels Māngere chapter after he was deported in 2020.
The following year, that chapter became embroiled in a violent tit-for-that clash with the King Cobras (KCs) characterised by shootings and firebombings.
The KCs were aggrieved at the Rebels encroaching on their traditional turf and their use of the “Māngere” rocker label on their patches.
Yesterday morning, armed police raided the Rebels MC pad in Ōtāhuhu, which Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin described as a “location of interest” in the investigation into Pongia’s death.
“I can reassure the public that our investigation is developing well, and our team is starting to focus on key individuals,” Baldwin said.
“This was an incredibly alarming incident to happen for the community in Pt England … We have no tolerance for violence or unlawful activities.”
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