Gang link in station death
Police focus on silver Mercedes and gang vest as family grieve outside cordon
Northland police are investigating another gang-related death after a man died in an ambulance at Whangarei's St John station after a dash to get him medical help.
The man was driven to the ambulance station on Western Hills Dr but died shortly after with police being called to the station about 6.40am yesterday.
The identity of the 37-year-old man was yet to be made public and police were still establishing whether the death was linked to that of Head Hunter gang member 25-year-old Moses Noor Mahanga in Otangarei 14 days ago. Mahanga died of a gunshot wound and no arrests have been made in relation to his murder.
Forensic experts examined the ambulance parked inside the main ambulance bay late yesterday before the body was removed and taken to Auckland for a post mortem to determine the cause of death.
Family of the deceased man, believed to be a father of two, gathered and remained outside the cordon for most of the day. They were hugging each other and visibly upset.
One man, with a blood-covered shirt, was being consoled by others. The man's sister, who was one of those at the scene, said the shock was still sinking in.
A late model, silver Mercedes car was the major focus of attention inside the cordon, with a Tribesman gang vest lying on the bonnet of the vehicle. It was towed away about 3.30pm.
Armed police were at a property north of Whangarei at Piano Hill, at Mower Rd, where a house was under forensic scrutiny. A second property in Hassard St, Kensington, was also under police watch and scheduled to be examined.
A relative of the man said he was loved by many and came from a loving family.
“The sad thing about gangs is they have gone from one extreme to the next,” she said.
“The change from cannabis to P has contributed to this. Users have lost the ability to make right decisions, so much more complex. Actually, people need to be educated about that too.”
Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said police were investigating whether the two deaths were linked but there was no immediately obvious connection.
“Police are still working to establish the circumstances surrounding this man's death,” Burke said.
He urged anyone who had seen a group of men gathered in the Whangarei or Kamo areas in the early hours of yesterday to contact them. Police are waiting until formal identification of the victim before making his name public.
St John Northland operations manager Tony Devanney said the incident had not affected the organisation’s services and ambulances continue to roll in and out all day.
He said the demand was down, probably due to the doctors’ strike at Whangarei Hospital.