Man arrested in death of Canadian woman’s fiancé
New Zealand police say suspect shot at van while the couple slept
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND— Police in New Zealand say a Canadian woman is “shocked and distressed” after her Australian fiancé 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 say they have arrested and charged a 23-year-old man with murder, aggravated robbery and threatening to kill. They have identified the victim as 33-year-old Sean McKinnon of Australia.
The man was arrested in a manhunt 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 fiancée, 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 fiancé 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.”
Star Halifax reached a woman who identified herself as Buckley’s mother by phone.
She confirmed her daughter is from Halifax and that she has spoken with her since the ordeal took place.
She didn’t want to provide any further details, citing the family’s desire for privacy.
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 the injured tourist still inside.
The terrain where the vehicle was stolen is “quite rough,” he said, and police are still trying to determine whether the Canadian woman sustained any injuries in her escape.
Police found the vehicle at 8 a.m. about 75 kilometres away. It wasn’t immediately clear if McKinnon had died from the wounds he received in the initial attack or had been subject to further violence.