Navtej Singh with his wife Harjinder Kaur. Photo / Supplied
Members of the South Auckland Sikh community are seeking legal advice as they prepare to lodge a formal complaint against police over their concerns around the killing of shopkeeper Navtej Singh.
Mr Singh, 30, died in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital 24 hours after being shot in cold blood by
armed men during a robbery at his Manurewa liquor store of alcohol and cash on June 7.
Police are reviewing how long it took them to respond to the robbery after they held back an ambulance from reaching the store.
Police received the first 111 emergency call at 9.05pm but did not enter the store until 9.31pm and paramedics entered at 9.38pm - 20 minutes after they arrived at a "safe point" at the scene.
Police later said they had to establish where the gunman was before they entered so no one else's life was put in danger.
As they waited members Mr Singh's family told 111 operators the gunman and his co-offenders had long since departed.
Yesterday a committee made up of 17 Sikh community leaders was formed, which will lodge the letter of complaint against police.
Kanwaljit Bakshi said the committee would meet this week to seek legal advice over the letter.
Manurewa MP George Hawkins was helping the committee with the letter and Mr Bakshi said he hoped National MP Pansy Wong would also be involved.
Mr Bakshi said it took police almost 25 minutes to give the all clear for ambulance staff to enter the liquor store, despite witnesses near the dairy telling police it was safe for people to enter.
"That time would have made some drastic difference, it might have given help to save him."
After Mr Singh was initially shot he was able to move around and went to the toilet, he said.
By the time 25 minutes had passed he was vomiting, he said.
Counties-Manukau police spokeswoman Denise Trail said police would not comment on the letter as it had not been lodged with the Police Complaints Independent Authority.
"If it is, it won't affect any working relationship we have with the family or the community.
"We are a professional organisation and we all have our roles to fulfil.
"We will respond as necessary to any directive given by the PCIA."
- NZPA
