Canadian’s Australian fiance killed in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Police in New Zealand say a Canadian woman is “shocked and distressed” after her Australian fiance was murdered in an apparently random attack.

Insp. Graham Pitkethley says New Zealand Police are providing the woman, identified by Canadian sources as Nova Scotia native Bianca Buckley, with the support she needs after what he called a “tragic incident.”

Police did not immediately identify the victim, but New Zealand media report he was 33-year-old Australian national Sean McKinnon.

A manhunt was underway after the Australian tourist was found dead in his van near the village of Gordonton, in the country’s North Island, Friday morning.

Police say McKinnon and Buckley, his 32-year-old Canadian fiance, had been sleeping inside the van at a scenic spot near the coastal town of Raglan when a suspect approached the vehicle just after 3 a.m. Friday.

Pitkethley says the suspect fired a number of shots into the van, injuring the Australian tourist.

The woman managed to escape and run away, and she called police.

“We are supporting the female victim, who is understandably very shocked and distressed,” Pitkethley told a news conference.

In Nova Scotia, Sacred Heart School of Halifax announced Buckley, a 2005 graduate, had been involved in a “violent incident” in New Zealand in which her fiance was killed.

The school noted in a Facebook post that the Buckley family appreciates the prayers of the school community.

“Bianca thankfully is safe,” the school said in the post. “Our thoughts are with Bianca and her family and of course with the McKinnon family.”

Buckley’s parents, reached in Halifax, said Friday they had spoken with their daughter after the attack.

“I’m devastated,” her mother said. Her father said they preferred not to comment any further.

“It’s an absolutely unbelievable event, and we don’t have any comment,” he said.

A statement from Counties Manukau Health in Auckland, which Buckley listed on her Facebook page as her employer since January, said the organization is providing support to one of its staff members, a midwife, who was involved in the “tragic incident.”

Pitkethley said after the initial shooting, the suspect stole the van and drove away with McKinnon still inside.