Third person charged with the murder of Kevin Ratana

A third person has been charged with the murder of Kevin Ratana in Whanganui just a day after two senior Black Power members were also charged with the murder.

Ratana, a member of the rival Mongrel Mob gang, was shot outside his Puriri St home on August 21 while leaving to go to the gym.

Two more shots were fired inside the house where adults and children were hiding.

A 27-year-old man appeared in Whanganui District Court on Wednesday charged with murder and was remanded in custody to reappear again on November 7.

This follows the appearance of a 38-year-old man in the same court on Tuesday while a 31-year-old from Naenae also appeared briefly in the Lower Hutt District Court charged with the same murder.

There, a woman in the public gallery called out "I love you" to the man, who blew her a kiss before being led to the cells.

Police continue to seek assistance from the public in relation to the movements of five men who walked to Kevin's address on the morning of August 21.

"We would like to thank the Whanganui community for their courage and fortitude in standing against gang violence," Detective Senior Sergeant Philip Skoglund said yesterday.

Twelve men are already facing charges, including threatening to kill, unlawful possession of ammunition and participation in an organised crime group.

Ratana's funeral was held on August 27 and attracted an increased police presence in Whanganui, including the eye-in-the-sky Eagle helicopter, as gang numbers in the city swelled to more than 100.

Mongrel Mob members, family and friends mourned Kevin Ratana at a tangi on the River Rd in Parikino.

As Ratana's tangi was under way, police carried out a raid on several Black Power houses around the corner from Puriri St, making a number of arrests and seizing guns.