Superintendent Jill Rogers talks to the media about the overnight firearms incidents in Auckland. Video / NZ Herald
A senior member of the Killer Beez gang who allegedly turned up to a rugby league practice to threaten a rival with a gun is believed to have sparked the ongoing spate of shootings in Auckland, the Herald can reveal.
The latest series of tit-for-tat shootings between the Tribesmen andKiller Beez has seen the homes of innocent residents peppered with bullets as parts of the city are enveloped in a climate of fear.
There have been at least 12 incidents linked to the conflict across the city since the weekend.
Police say it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Superintendent Jill Rogers, the Counties Manukau District Commander, said at a press conference yesterday that the source of the dramatic escalation in tensions between the two gangs was part of their investigation.
However, a little over two hours after her briefing a man appeared in the Auckland District Court whose actions are believed to be the cause of this week's shootings between the formerly allied gangs.
A shot out window at a home in Caspar Rd, Papatoetoe on Tuesday. Photo / Hayden Woodward
The senior member of the Killer Beez faces a range of serious charges but court documents show they are unrelated to the rugby league practice incident.
At a hearing before Judge Kevin Glubb, he did not seek bail.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons as he is facing the other unrelated charges, stood in the dock flanked by four court security officers.
He briefly acknowledged one supporter in the public gallery with a raise of his eyebrows.
It is understood that last week he went to a rugby league practice at an Auckland sports ground to allegedly threaten a member of the rival Tribesmen gang while wielding a firearm.
That alleged incident set in motion the escalating series of shootings in South and West Auckland, and in the Far North town of Kaikohe.
Five of the homes that were subject to shootings on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning have in the past had links to gangs, but two had no links currently to gangs, Rogers said.
Members of the Killer Beez at the annual motorcycle run in Ramarama in April 2022. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Five incidents were reported by late Tuesday night in Papatoetoe, Ōtara, Flat Bush, Papakura and Te Atatū.
These were just incidents that were reported and Rogers urged the public to report all incidents.
Superintendent Rogers said a number of the weapons used were high-powered rifles.
"The risk that these escalating incidents pose is enormous."
Detective inspector Warrick Adkin, of Counties Manukau CIB, said the actions of the gunmen show "blatant disrespect" for the safety of communities.
Police are investigating a series of gang shootings across Auckland on Tuesday night. Photo / HaydenWoodward
"We want to reassure the community that we are treating these incidents very seriously and police staff are on the ground providing reassurance at each location.
"It is extremely fortunate that no one has been harmed in these incidents and we know the community will be as disgusted as we are by this callous behaviour."
The Killer Beez began about two decades ago as a youth feeder street gang for the Tribesmen in Ōtara but relations between the groups soured as the Killer Beez gained power and influence.
They have not recovered since the shooting of Killer Beez president Josh Masters by his former friend, Tribesmen sergeant-at-arms Okusitino Tae, in 2019.
Masters was left paralysed by the shooting but is still a prominent figure at Killer Beez patching ceremonies and meetings. Tae pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2020.
There have been several public flare-ups in tensions characterised by shootings and beatings in the ensuing years, including in Ōtara late in 2020 and in Kaikohe this year.
