Aussie tourist’s killing called ‘random attack’

NEW Zealand police will today continue a massive manhunt for the man who shot dead an Australian tourist in a campervan at a secluded North Island surfing spot, forcing his terrified fiancee to run for her life.

The man smashed his way into the 2017 Toyota Hiace rental van around 3am on Thursday, at a carpark in the Te Toto Gorge near Raglan, a small town about 150km south of Auckland.

He demanded the keys and shot dead carpenter Sean McKinnon, 33. His 32-year-old Canadian fiancee Bianca Buckley escaped the van and ran several kilometres to raise the alarm.

The campervan was found shortly after 8am, 80km away.

Police discovered Mr McKinnon’s body inside. He had been shot several times.

Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley from Waikato Police described it as a “tragic incident”.

“This is a random attack by what we attribute to a sole offender,” he said.

Det Insp Pitkethley said Ms Buckley was “understandably very shocked and distressed” after her ordeal but she was being provided with support.

Mr McKinnon’s sister Emmeline said Ms Buckley was “going as well as can be expected”.

Ms Buckley had been working as a midwife at Counties Manukau Health since January after studying at the University of Queensland and McGill University in Montreal.

She and Mr McKinnon were engaged on Christmas Day in 2017 and had planned to buy land in NZ or Australia.

Emmeline McKinnon said the family were living their “worst nightmare”.

“I feel sheer helplessness. As an older sister I wish I could have been there to defend and protect him,” she said.

Born in Warrnambool, Victoria, Mr McKinnon had been recently working in remote Tasmania and had travelled to New Zealand to be with his fiance about a fortnight ago.

He is survived by four sisters, a brother and his mother.