Defence lawyer Nathan Bourke said Pullan-Whakarau’s young cousin was involved in a recent car crash in Kāpiti and at the time emotions were running high. He said the teen had since died.
Stuff has reported he was Tama Whakarau, a passenger in the crash, which also claimed the life of the driver, Reihana Hawea, near Ōtaki on April 26. They had been fleeing police in a stolen vehicle at the time.
According to the summary of facts released to NZME, Pullan-Whakarau was at a motel on Riddiford St, Wellington, on May 1.
The 22-year-old from Taranaki was in Wellington visiting his cousin who was then a patient in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Around 5.10pm an altercation broke out at the motel between Pullan-Whakarau and a Mongrel Mob member who was visiting another family also staying at the motel.
The Mongrel Mob member and his associate armed themselves with knives and exchanged words with Pullan-Whakarau and his associates.
Shortly after, the Mongrel Mob member and his mate left the motel and drove to the hospital where they parked near the front entrance.
Meanwhile, Pullan-Whakarau grabbed a shotgun from his room at the motel and together with his associates, drove to the hospital.
In the carpark of the emergency department, Pullan-Whakarau stopped a short distance from the Mongrel Mob member’s vehicle.
Pullan-Whakarau got out of the car and began shouting in his rival’s direction, with the loaded shotgun by his side.
He returned to his car and drove closer to the rival before getting out again and approaching the vehicle.
Pullan-Whakarau stopped about 5m from the man’s car and raised the firearm, pointing it towards where he was seated.
Despite another family member coming along and attempting to stop him, Pullan-Whakarau fired one shot into the driver’s door.
No one was injured but the door was punctured by the shotgun pellets.
Pullan-Whakarau and his associates got back in their vehicle and drove off.
The incident sparked a large police response and caused the Wellington Regional Hospital to go into lockdown for a period.
In court, Judge Gregory Hikaka recorded the guilty plea and remanded Pullan-Whakarau back into custody ahead of his sentencing on August 30.
Two others were arrested following the shooting, including a 21-year-old Gisborne man who was charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
The double-fatal crash occurred after a stolen vehicle, wanted in connection with a robbery in Ōtaki earlier that evening, fled police.
A pursuit was initiated but was abandoned within several minutes due to the manner of driving.
Hawea, 16, continued at speed heading south on State Highway 1. Around 10.50pm, the vehicle was seen turning back onto State Highway 1 from Waikanae, heading north in the southbound lane.
The vehicle collided head-on with a car just south of Lawlors Rd around 11.05pm.
A third person in the fleeing vehicle and two from the car it hit were also injured and taken to hospital.
Police were still investigating the incident.
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff where she covered crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.
