Battle to save tot fails, homicide inquiry launched
A police officer desperately tried to revive a child in a South Auckland driveway but the 1-year-old died at the scene. Police began a homicide inquiry after the little girl died in the suburb of Clover Park on Saturday night.
Flat Bush Rd resident Albert Vahaakolo said he had seen police further up the road that night responding to a separate incident, before somebody called out to police for help. An officer had only been roughly 50 metres or so away and was able to get to the house quickly.
The police officer started CPR, hunched over in the driveway facing the house, he said.
The child died at the scene. Police had been carefully guarding the house since, Vahaakolo said.
A policewoman knocked on his door the next morning, canvassing the area to find out more about what neighbours might have heard or seen. He said: “You are not only saddened, you are a bit shocked . . . sometimes when something like that happens you want to try and go over and lend a bit of support — whatever support you can.”
There have been no charges or arrests and police say the investigation is ongoing.