Fellow students say entomologists may want to name new bug species after Whorrall as a tribute.
A makeshift memorial has been set up at an Auckland bus stop where a student was killed, as his former teacher said he wouldn’t be surprised if a new species was named after him as a tribute.
Kyle Whorrall, 33, was sitting at the bus shelter on St Johns Rd on Saturday night when two people jumped out of a black SUV and attacked him. He later died in hospital.
At the scene this morning, mourners have filled the shelter with large bouquets of flowers and solar-powered lights have been set up to illuminate the stop at night.
Grieving friends and colleagues gathered there this morning, some in tears and hugging each other.
Floral tributes were left at the St Johns Rd bus-stop where Kyle Whorrall was murdered on Saturday night.
Floral tributes for Kyle Whorrall at the St Johns Rd bus shelter. Photo / Michael Craig
Whorrall moved to New Zealand from the United States in 2021 to study for a PhD.
Based at Landcare Research, he had nearly completed his degree.
Fellow students and academics spoke about his enthusiasm for entomology. He had shown a particular interest in beetles.
“I interacted with Kyle while he was an undergrad, during field classes, and museum work,” said Doug Yanega, from the University of California’s entomology department.
“He was soft-spoken, polite, and enthusiastic, which is fairly typical for an entomology student.
“It was clear, however, that he was keen to take his interests to the next level, as he had approached me looking to do genuine taxonomic research as an undergrad - with firefly beetles, at that time.
“Most entomology students don’t get into research until they begin their graduate studies, so Kyle had clearly made up his mind that he wanted to turn his interest into a career.”
Yanega said he was happy to hear Whorrall had moved to New Zealand to work with a friend Yanega had attended graduate school with at the University of Kansas.
“While it is certainly not the same as being family, the relationship between a student and their thesis adviser can be very close... The entomological community is very close-knit and supportive, and even as briefly as Kyle had been involved in entomology, there were many people who knew and respected him.
“I would not be surprised at all to see, over the next few years, at least a few new species described and named in Kyle’s honour, as that’s very much the kind of thing entomologists do to pay tribute to lost colleagues - a small but meaningful form of immortality, as it were.”
Online, friends described Whorrall as kind-hearted and kind-spirited.
“His love for bugs and nature was wholesome and innate,” one said. “May he rest in peace.”
Auckland University student Kyle Whorrall was attacked at a bus stop and died later in hospital.
He then walked about 400m up St Johns Rd to the bus stop, which took five or six minutes.
About 9.50pm, a white Toyota ute was cut off by a black SUV which was doing a U-turn. Footage from a passing bus captured an image of Whorrall sitting at the bus stop and the two vehicles.
It was not his usual bus stop and it was not yet known why he was there - he did not flag any buses. Baldwin said he might have been sheltering from stormy weather.
Floral tributes have been left at the St Johns Rd bus stop where Kyle Whorrall was murdered on Saturday night. Photo / Michael Craig
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin speaking to the media about the homicide investigation. Photo / Michael Craig.
About 10pm, the SUV parked at the bus stop, facing the wrong direction. Two occupants got out of the car and attacked Whorrall for about 30 seconds before speeding in their car in an easterly direction towards College Rd.
“The victim was subjected to a senseless attack, leaving him with multiple head injuries,” Baldwin said.
“No one should be subjected to the appalling level of violence that the victim suffered on Saturday night.”
Police launched a homicide investigation after the incident on St Johns Rd. Photo / Alex Burton.
The occupants of the white ute were “critical” witnesses and police were appealing for them to come forward, while emphasising they were not suspects in the investigation.
They could be able to confirm how many people were in the black vehicle, or might have captured the vehicle’s number plate.
While footage had been captured of the black SUV, it was not clear enough to identify a number plate. The attackers’ weapon had not been found.
The hunt for the attackers is now a major police exercise, with detectives called back from holiday to assist.
Kyle Whorrall, 33, died after being attacked at a bus stop on St Johns Rd in Meadowbank on Saturday.
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