A 111 call for a man shot in the back as he slept has been played to a court, revealing the dispatcher tried for several minutes to get someone to perform CPR on him, with nobody stepping forward.
But arguments broke out between the caller and at least one other person, with the caller insisting someone else “f***ing do it”.
“You do it,” the caller said to another person in the room.
After several minutes of the dispatcher trying to get someone to help Tongia, who was not conscious or breathing, the caller confirmed there was nobody in the house who would do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The call was played to a jury in the High Court at Wellington today, where four women are on trial for his murder. Tongia was found dead in his Karori home in December 2020.
Shayde Carolyn Weston is accused of firing a shotgun into Tongia’s back as he slept, in retaliation for him assaulting her earlier in the night.
Pania Ella Waaka is accused of driving Weston to the scene of the killing, while Breeze Hunt-Weston is alleged to have provided the car, and Louise Kelly Hume is accused of sourcing the gun.
All four have pleaded not guilty to murder, and Hunt-Weston has also denied an alternative charge of being an accessory after the fact to murder, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
A fifth woman who was also due to go on trial has withdrawn due to health issues, Judge Andru Isaac said. Two other people have already been sentenced in relation to their roles in Tongia’s death.
In the 111 call, the caller explained Tongia had received a head injury the night before and had lost a lot of blood. This related to an incident where Hunt-Weston hit him on the head with a hammer.
The caller said they were unable to wake Tongia up in the morning.
The dispatcher asked her to move him onto the ground and lie him flat on his back. The caller noted there was a lot of blood, but said they could not tell where it was coming from.
The call ends with the caller heading out to meet first responders at the front door.
Lawyers for the defendants briefly laid out their defences on Monday.
Weston’s defence is that she wasn’t present at the killing, while Waaka has told police she did drive Weston to the scene, but did not know Tongia was going to be killed.
Hume has denied sourcing a gun, and Hunt-Weston said she did not know her car had been taken that night.
The trial, which is set down for eight weeks, continues.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
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