Police seek car in mistaken identity’ murder
Investigators believe Christian carver was wrongly targeted in gang shooting, reports Jared Savage
Anew clue has emerged in the “execution style” murder of David Kuka, who is believed to be a victim of mistaken identity.
And police say his death is most likely connected to the fatal shooting of a gang member at the same address five weeks earlier.
A silver Ford Falcon with a red bonnet is being treated as a vehicle of interest by police investigating the “premeditated and cowardly” shooting of Kuka in Tauranga last year.
The distinctive car was last seen in the late afternoon and evening around Tauranga on February
11, a few hours before 52-year-old Kuka was killed.
Security camera footage of the car has been released by the investigation team and featured on the
Police Ten 7 television show. The Ford Falcon is the second car at the centre of the inquiry.
Detective Sergeant Paul Barron confirmed police were still seeking sightings of another vehicle, also a silver sedan, seen in the Greerton area and Welcome Bay on the day of the murder.
“It’s vital anyone with information about the two vehicles we’re interested in, or anyone who knows about Mr Kuka’s death, contacts us.”
Kuka, a devout Christian and fatherof-four, was home alone at a Wilrose Place address in Gate Pa when he was shot around 10pm.
Police believe he was an innocent victim of an “execution style” shooting in a case of mistaken identity.
Last year, the Herald revealed police were investigating whether Kuka’s death was connected to the fatal shooting of Lance Wayne Waite at the same address five weeks earlier.
Waite was a life member of the Notorious Mongrel Mob chapter with a serious criminal record.
While the inquiry team previously said the link between the deaths could not be ruled out, Barron now says Kuka’s murder was most likely connected to the shooting of Waite.
Kuka had previously been in Black Power but left the gang in 1999 after becoming a Christian.
In an exclusive interview to mark the first anniversary of Kuka’s death last month, Te Kimioranga Te Kuka said she wanted the public to know her father had nothing to do with drugs or gangs anymore.
“He had completely turned his life around. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Tall and rangy with long dark hair, Kuka was a recognisable figure in downtown Tauranga, where he’d walk down the street with his fist raised to the sky, pointing to heaven.
Wearing a leather vest with a cross on the back, Kuka would spend his weekend nights busking with his guitar and singing about his saviour.
“Dad was a very loud and proud Christian,” says Te Kimioranga.