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A man shot dead in an armed stand-off with police was an only child who had moved to Napier to escape the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake.
Lachan Kelly-Tumarae, 19, of Flaxmere in Hastings, was shot by an officer with a standard issue Glock pistol in Fernhill, about 15km from
Napier, around 1.30am and died in hospital about 3am.
Police said Mr Kelly-Tumarae had presented a shotgun at police officers in both Maraenui and at Fernhill.
Early reports were that he had fired his weapon before he was shot, eastern district commander Superintendent Sam Hoyle said.
James Tumarae, the uncle of Mr Kelly-Tumarae, said he was furious at the shooting and would be making a complaint against police.
His nephew was a "bloody good guy" who was getting ready for a second year in training with the army, he said.
Mr Kelly-Tumarae, an only child, moved to Hawke's Bay from Christchurch two weeks ago. He had been living in the quake-devastated city with his mother since last June, when he completed an eight-week limited volunteer course with the army at Trentham.
He had only recently moved to Napier to escape constant aftershocks in Christchurch.
He had last seen his mother on Tuesday.
"She loved her son. They loved each other. They never would have thought that would be the last time they'd see each other. A bullet from a police gun took her only child away.
"I'm absolutely f****d off. Why couldn't they use a taser gun? The cops are getting too trigger happy."
Mr Tumarae said Mr Kelly-Tumarae had had gang affiliations in Hawkes Bay but the army course "was a good move for him" and he was on track to turn his life around.
He said he had "absolutely no idea" what his nephew was doing last night.
"There's still a lot I don't know, I didn't realise that he pointed a firearm. It's just something that's totally out of his character.
"He was a real laidback guy."
Mr Tumarae said nothing had seemed wrong with his nephew on the day before he was shot.
Mr Kelly-Tumarae was placid when he had been picked up by an old friend for a night out, he said.
Only hours later, Mr Tumarae was given the "heartbreaking" duty of telling his sister her child had been shot.
"I had to tell her that her only child had been taken away. He's going to be a great loss.
"There was nothing to make us suspect this would happen."
Mr Kelly-Tumarae's mother was making arrangements to travel from
Christchurch to be with family as soon as possible, Mr Tumarae said.
The shooting happened after a Napier police night shift patrol noticed a man acting suspiciously near a vehicle parked on Wordsworth Crescent in suburban Maraenui, police said.
Mr Kelly-Tumarae presented a shotgun at officers, then used a relative's Nissan Primera stationwagon to drive from Maraenui in Napier to Fernhill, on the outskirts of Napier.
He was followed at a distance by several police cars with flashing lights before abruptly stopping and getting out of his car on Taihape Rd, near the intersection with Korokipo Rd.
When he again took out the shotgun, he was shot by a police officer.
Mr Hoyle said police had "some previous dealings" with Mr Kelly-Tumarae.
An investigation would look into his background, including what, if any, gang affiliations he had, he said.
"We hope the investigation will in due course reveal why the man was out in a suburban Napier street in the early hours of the morning with a shotgun," Mr Hoyle said.
The officer who fired the fatal shot had not been stood down but his shift had finished.
"We're obviously working to support him and the other officers who had the firearm presented at them," Mr Hoyle said.
"It is traumatic for all the officers involved, having the firearm presented at them and then ending as it did."
Several investigations have begun into the shooting, including an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) inquiry and a homicide investigation which will be headed by a senior officer from outside the district.
A post-mortem examination will be held today to confirm Mr Kelly-Tumarae's cause of death and a forensic examination of the scene is under way.
Police Association president Greg O'Connor has backed the officer who shot Mr Kelly-Tumarae.
"There'll be all sorts of speculation about what happened, the best thing to do, including speculation on what other alternatives (were available), is to wait for the results of the inquiries," he told NZPA.
"I'm confident, absolutely confident, that a properly conducted inquiry will satisfy anyone who takes an objective look at it, that the actions will be justified."
The media and everyone involved should wait for the results of an Independent Police Conduct Authority inquiry and a homicide investigation headed by a senior officer from outside the district, he said.
"...clearly one thing that can often happen after these (fatal shootings) is that there's all sorts of accusations and speculation which is unhelpful to everyone," he said.
Mr O'Connor would not comment on why a taser was not used.
A team from the Wellington-based police association has gone to Hawke's Bay to support local staff.
The incident follows three police shooting deaths in recent years.
Halatau Naitoko, 17, a courier, was accidentally shot and killed in crossfire on Auckland's northwestern motorway following the dramatic police pursuit of gunman Stephen Hohepa McDonald in January 2009.
The officer did not face charges, with the judge who sentenced McDonald to 13 years jail agreeing police were not to blame.
Truck driver Richard Neville, who was injured by shrapnel from the shooting as McDonald tried to hijack his truck, is suing police for gross negligence and mental trauma.
Armed drug addict Lee Jane Mettam, 37, was shot dead by a member of the armed offenders squad in Whangarei in October 2008 after she took a shop assistant hostage.
The IPCA found the officer was justified in the shooting.
Christchurch man Stephen Bellingham, 37, was shot dead as he ran towards a police officer with a hammer during a destructive window-smashing rampage in September 2007.
The IPCA found the officer had acted in self-defence.
