Public help sought in fatal shooting case

Police investigating the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman at her Otaki Beach home earlier this month are appealing for public sightings of two vehicles.

Police investigating the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman at her home in Otaki Beach north of Wellington are appealing for public sightings of two vehicles.

Firefighters and police found the woman with gunshot wounds in her house on Ngaio St on May 8.

She died the next morning in Wellington Hospital and her partner has been charged with murder. Both have name suppression.

Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Borrell said police wanted to speak to a man with a moustache who drove a red car by the woman's house in the half hour before she was shot.

He appealed for anyone who had seen the car in the area to speak to police.

"We are keen to identify and speak to this driver. There is no suggestion he has any involvement in the incident; he is
simply being sought as a potential witness."

Mr Borrell also wanted to hear from anyone who saw a white trail bike in the area any time on Sunday, May 8.

St John's Ambulance has launched an internal investigation into its response to the shooting, after no ambulance was sent to the woman's aid.

Firefighters and police gave first aid but became so concerned with St John's response they called off-duty paramedics to the scene themselves.

The paramedics arrived 25 minutes after emergency services were called and borrowed the firefighters' medical equipment to treat the woman.

A helicopter and paramedic arrived from Palmerston North about 16 minutes later.

St John's said in a statetment it did not have an ambulance officer available to attend to the woman.

Its on-duty Otaki staff had been on their way to Palmerston North with a patient when the shooting occurred.

Two ambulances in Levin were responding to another call, after the cardiac arrest of a terminally ill cancer patient, who was the subject of a non-resuscitation order.

"Due to demand for ambulance services on 8 May the closest resource with appropriately skilled officer for this incident was Palmerston North, all other options were explored."

- Herald Online