Shooter: ‘I know I did wrong’
A woman lost part of her leg after a shooting that happened when she tried to protect others from the gunman, a court has heard.
The victim, Jamie Nepia, was at the High Court in Wellington yesterday, in a wheelchair, to see the shooter jailed. She silently clapped as the woman who sparked the confrontation was also jailed.
Rex Ji Terangi Daley, 32, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for the shooting; the judge swayed to be more lenient by his expression of remorse, and prospects of rehabilitation after a hard upbringing.
Daley turned to face his victim through glass security screens separating them in court, and said: ‘‘I know I did wrong . . . If I could take it back I would.’’
Nepia was shot in the thigh with a sawn-off shotgun at near pointblank range in December 2018, in Masterton, as she tried to protect others when Daley hit one of her companions with the shotgun’s butt.
The injury was life-threatening, she was in hospital for several months and her leg was amputated above the knee. She suffered vivid nightmares, had lost her children and was dependent on others.
Justice Rebecca Ellis said Nepia’s life was permanently changed.
Nepia did not speak at Daley’s sentencing but she read her victim impact statement at the sentencing of Tiana Maree Walker-Dahlberg, 31, who pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary. Walker-Dahlberg was sentenced to three years’ jail.
The judge said Walker-Dahlberg shared responsibility for setting in motion a chain of events that led to the shooting.
She was in a dispute over children she had with a former partner. One of his relatives was in a relationship with Nepia. Earlier on the day of the shooting, there had been a series of confrontations including one in which Walker-Dahlberg said she was assaulted.
She complained to Daley and others. Although her accounts varied, she admitted knowing Daley had a firearm but said she did not know he would use it.
Nepia, now 30, said attempts were made to save her leg but two long surgeries were ultimately unsuccessful and it was amputated. She was in constant pain, and physically and emotionally could not use a prosthesis.
Three of her six children had been in her care but after the shooting, she was told she could not look after them.
The aggravated burglary had occurred when Daley chased a man into an enclosed yard of a house, and Walker-Dahlberg was party to that offence.
Daley also fired a shot at the house, which hit the window of an occupied bedroom.
Daley, 32, pleaded guilty to charges of causing grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and discharging a firearm with reckless disregard for the safety of others.
He said the gun discharged accidentally at Nepia. But the judge said that was unlikely and, in any event, he pleaded guilty to a charge that acknowledged causing grievous bodily harm intentionally.
Prosecutor Grant Burston said Daley’s remorse had come too late to get him any credit but Justice Ellis disagreed. She accepted it meant something for a man who had Daley’s background, with an atrocious history of childhood abuse himself.
Kiwi NBA superstar Steven Adams has opened up on his Covid-19 hiatus, much of which was spent in New Zealand.
The Oklahoma City Thunder centre spoke to United States reporters on a conference call yesterday ahead of the NBA’s restart on July 30 in Orlando.
The 26-year-old Kiwi is certainly ready to re-enter hoops mode, entertaining reporters on his time spent sitting out the initial surge of the pandemic on the farm in New Zealand.
Adams returned to New Zealand in March, soon after the NBA season was suspended. He explained his first instinct had been to be near family and friends.
‘‘That’s with any international player. They’ll feel the same way.
They just want to be close to loved ones. In case anything happens, you want to be there.
‘I think that’s everyone’s first instinct to do when there’s a world crisis going on . . . spend some time back on the farm.
‘‘The cows are doing good, mate. I was boxing out cows and all that, bro. I had a little bit of a farmer’s tan,’’ he added, even rolling up his shirt T-sleeve to reveal his tan-line.
Adams confirmed he had been able to play pickup games against fellow Kiwis during his time in New Zealand and was happy to reflect on how successful his country had been in dealing with the pandemic.
‘‘There were a few hiccups here and there, but for the most part New Zealanders generally are quite compliant with rules,’’ Adams said.
‘‘Everyone was kind of making sure that we follow the rules properly, maintain distance and whatnot. Collectively, all the Kiwis did a really, really good job with that, and that’s what kind of shut it down.
‘‘The approach was right at the start, go hard and kick its butt.’’
According to Ministry of Health figures, New Zealand (population almost 5 million) has had 1180 Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths. Oklahoma, with a population of 3.9 million, has had 14,539 cases and 395 deaths.
‘‘I’m being a bit more cautious now,’’ added Adams on the call. ‘‘You should just be cautious anyway . . . It’s just simple things, like
‘‘I was boxing out cows and all that, bro. I had a little bit of a farmer’s tan.’’
Steven Adams
even shaking hands.
‘‘I don’t know how you feel about it, but going in for a handshake with someone is very, very sketchy.’’
New Zealand’s finest hoops export admitted the thought of staying home had crossed his mind but he said he was now fully on board with the NBA’s restart plans.
‘‘When the league presented the way they wanted to do things, it was amazing. The amount of effort and how well they packaged the Orlando thing . . . they’re taking all the right precautions.’’
Adams said he always expected the season to come back in some shape or form and backed the Thunder’s chances in a post-season that will take away the home court advantage being played entirely in the Orlando bubble.
‘‘I’m betting on our declared.
The Thunder resume the season on August 1 against the Utah Jazz. team,’’ he