Man shot on Auckland's Queen St dies, police launch homicide investigation

Author: Akula Sharma and Jaime Lyth,
Publish Date: Sat, 5 Aug 2023, 9:11AM

A man shot on Auckland’s Queen St last night has died and police have launched a homicide investigation.

Police earlier revealed up to four shots were fired during the overnight shooting in downtown Auckland.

One man was shot in the head and another in the abdomen during an altercation on Queen St just before midnight. One of those men has now died, police said tonight.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton said the man “was taken off life support and sadly succumbed to his injuries with family beside him”.

“This is a tragic outcome for all concerned, and our focus remains on locating the person responsible.

“The formal process around a post-mortem [examination] and formal identification will take place, and police will look to release further information about the man once we are in a position to do so.”

The other shot man remains in a stable condition at Auckland City Hospital, police said.

Speaking to media in Auckland earlier today, Bolton said police are continuing to investigate and are following positive lines of inquiry involving CCTV footage.

“A small group of people were witnessed fighting before one offender pulled out a firearm and fired several shots,” Bolton said.

Bolton said police believe it’s an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public.

“We’re asking anyone with information to please come forward and speak to us.”

Bolton would not comment on whether the incident was gang-related or the exact number of people involved, but confirmed police could be looking for more than one person. The gunman was witnessed fleeing the scene on a Lime electric scooter, wearing distinctive red and black pants and a red hat.

Bolton said CCTV footage is helping with lines of inquiry.

The offender was on a Lime scooter before and after the incident.

“What I can say at this stage, was two groups were unknown to each other and the rest of it just forming part of our investigation.”

Bolton said that during the incident there were “words exchanged” which led the person to get off the scooter and approach.

“I’m very concerned about the victims who were going about their own business, they weren’t looking for trouble,” Bolton said.

Screenshot from video showing the aftermath of shooting on Queen St at 11.30pm yesterday. Photo / Aayush Gupta

A Lime spokesperson said the company was assisting police with inquiries.

Electric scooters were abandoned on Lower Queen St following a shooting incident last night. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Footage from the scene showed armed police surrounding a person on the ground. Photos of the scene also show multiple scooters lying on their sides.

A witness told the Herald he heard multiple gunshots and people yelling before looking out of the window to see a man lying on the ground and another being tended to by police.

Police on Queen St at the scene of a shooting overnight. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Another witness told TVNZ’s Breakfast they heard screaming and several loud bangs. When they looked out the window they saw a group of young people looking “panicked”, with a person lying still on the ground.

Police closed off a section of Auckland’s lower Queen St after the shooting, before reopening it at 7am.

Akula Sharma is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2022. She has previously worked at the Gisborne Herald.