Two dead in city stabbing
Two people are dead and two others are injured after a stabbing in Epsom, central Auckland.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police were called to reports of a stabbing at about 11.30am yesterday, where two people were found with critical injuries.
First aid was provided, however the injured man and woman died at the scene on the corner of The Drive and Alba Rd.
A third person found at the property was taken to hospital with critical injuries, and is having surgery. A fourth person was taken to hospital with superficial injuries.
Beard said police had launched a homicide investigation into the ‘‘tragic’’ incident. He said it appeared those involved were known to each other and officers were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
Beard said it looked as though the stabbing happened inside the house where emergency services were called, and police were satisfied it was not a random attack.
‘‘While the investigation is still in its early stages, we want to reassure the public that at this early stage we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter, and we do not believe there is any wider risk to the community.’’
Reva Kaushal was at home with her husband, Karan, and one of her two daughters, when they heard sirens about 11am.
The Kaushals have been living on The Drive for three years and had not heard of anything like this happening in the community before. ‘‘I’m feeling scared,’’ she said.
Kaushal said her husband had gone around the corner to see what was going on as their driveway had been blocked off by police, and he needed to leave for work. Kaushal said he had seen an older man getting his hand bandaged.
A strong police presence remained at the scene yesterday afternoon and officers were expected to be at the address for the remainder of the day.
Post-mortem examinations on the two people who died will take place today.
Epsom MP David Seymour said the incident was ‘‘shocking and tragic’’ for the community.
‘‘It is important that the police are able to do their job and the privacy of people connected with the incident is respected,’’ he said. ‘‘There will no doubt be a lot of questions, and our community will want and deserve to know how and why this happened. In the meantime we need to respect the appropriate processes.’’
Gagan Saxena, who lives on The Drive, said he saw more than 10 police cars come racing down the road around 11am.
Awsiya Syed, an administrator from Greenlane Hospital, rushed to the scene after hearing sirens and seeing a lot of police cars rush past about 12.15pm. He had never seen this number of police before and described himself as ‘‘scared’’.
A Stuff reporter, whose children attend Epsom Normal Intermediate School, said he received a message on the school’s app alerting him to the incident yesterday afternoon.
‘‘The schools’ senior leaders teams have been meeting, briefing the children, and sending out messages on the SchoolsApp,’’ he said.
A notice was sent out to parents at 1.10pm acknowledging a ‘‘serious incident’’ in The Drive. It asked all parents ‘‘to keep away from the area’’.