The fatal shooting happened in August last year. Police were called to reports of gunshots on Marvon Downs Ave, in Pakūranga Heights, East Auckland, in the early morning.
Vi’s courier van was struck by gunfire outside his Pixie Place home in Pakūranga Heights about 6.45am.
Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers said today that police had spent months piecing together information for the case. He acknowledged that “significant” time had passed.
“I would also like to acknowledge the investigation team who have remained committed to holding those responsible for Mr Vi’s death to account.
At the time of the incident, Detective Inspector Vickers called Vi's killing a "shocking display of violence". Photo / NZME
He said police inquiries were continuing and further arrests are possible.
He hoped the public would understand that some details could not be mentioned.
“The public will appreciate there are specifics in the investigation we are unable to discuss. However, we are following positive lines of inquiry to bring this case to a close.”
‘A shocking display of violence’
At the time of the incident, Vickers called it a “shocking display of violence”.
One of Vi’s family members told the Herald he was a loving grandfather and a man of faith.
“He is a grandfather and a loving grandfather. He was a very hard worker and just a very loving person overall. He committed his life to the ministry of God.”
Vi was originally from Tonga. His employer, Post Haste, said it was devastated by his death.
A woman who raced to try and help him as he sat slumped inside his courier van told the Herald he was already dead by the time she arrived by his side.
She heard a volley of shots that sounded like “they were just outside [her] window”.
Police at the scene of the fatal shooting incident on Marvon Downs Ave. Photo / Jason Oxenham
“I ran outside and saw our next-door neighbour’s courier van had driven into our neighbour’s fence.
“As soon as I saw that, me and my partner ran over to see if he was still alive and if we could save him, but he was already gone.”
Mistaken identity? Vi’s kids faced money laundering, drug charges
Vi’s daughter, who lived with her father, and son were facing serious charges of money laundering and drug importing at the time of Vi’s shooting.
The woman’s partner, who was also facing charges, also lived at the Pixie Place address and has worked as a courier driver, according to court documents and electoral roll records.
The son had been bailed to a North Shore address that was targeted in a similar shooting a month before Vi’s death.
He was living at a property on Rambler Cres, Beach Haven, that was sprayed with bullets in a drive-by shooting around 6.30am on July 23.
The son faced drug importing and money laundering charges laid in Operation Worthington as he was an alleged client of a Chinese money laundering syndicate.
His sister and her partner were also charged with drug importing and money laundering offences as co-offenders.
There was no suggestion Tuipolotu Vi was involved in any crimes.
Asked at the time whether the shootings at Beach Haven and Pakūranga were connected, or if detectives were looking into the possibility that the fatal shooting was a case of mistaken identity, the police media team did not respond to Herald questions.
Instead, they issued a general press release that confirmed the “familial link” between the addresses that were targeted.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
