Shooting victim ignored police tip to leave town

By ALISON HORWOOD

Brendon Nuku has made some bad enemies.

Shot in the face during a Levin drive-by attack six months ago, he was advised by police to leave town for his own safety.

The 25-year-old panelbeater preferred to stick around Horowhenua.

Now he has been shot a second time, and is under police guard in the intensive care unit of Palmerston North hospital. His condition was described last night as serious.

Security in his ward is tight and yesterday a police officer outside his room was armed.

Police say Mr Nuku was helping a relative to move house in Levin on Friday when three people drove past in a stolen Honda Civic and shot him in the back.

It appears that two rounds were discharged from a shotgun.

Mr Nuku was flown to Palmerston North hospital and underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his back. He was also treated for head wounds. Police have been unable to speak to him.

The Honda Civic was found torched on the outskirts of Levin. It had been taken from the nearby Lake Papaitonga Reserve the previous Tuesday.

The officer in charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Murray Drummond, said that after several incidents six months ago, the police advised Mr Nuku to leave Levin for his own safety.

Last July, Mr Nuku was shot in the face during a drive-by shooting. Against medical advice he discharged himself from hospital.

A few days later, a home that Mr Nuku had been living in with his partner and child was firebombed.

"We have said to him on a number of occasions that he would be better off moving out of town for his own safety," Detective Sergeant Drummond said.

It appeared that Mr Nuku did not want to because he "didn't like taking a step backwards."

Six people are in custody awaiting trial next month over the July shooting.

They have identified themselves as belonging to a group called the "Levin Louts." The charges they face include attempted murder, aggravated robbery and assault with a weapon.

Acting Senior Sergeant Kris Burbery said police did not know of a clear motive for the latest attack and were waiting until Mr Nuku was well enough to talk.

He said it was not yet known whether the attack was connected to the July shooting, although police said earlier that there appeared to be a link.

The Levin Louts are a group, not necessarily a gang, who are fairly new to the area. It is not believed they are affiliated to any other groups or gangs.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old Levin man is being held in custody on a charge of breaching bail as a result of the latest investigation.