Party gone wrong sees two dead, three injured
Two men have been stabbed to death and three others are in a critical condition after a major “altercation” in Gisborne on Saturday night.
Police say they were called to a fight involving more than 100 people on Lytton Rd in Elgin after a 21st birthday party for whānau and friends went wrong.
Speaking to media yesterday afternoon, Acting Tairāwhiti Area Commander Inspector Darren Paki said that a minor argument escalated into a mass brawl after two people turned up to the party uninvited.
Police found two bodies at the scene, who they understand are men that were 21-years-old and 30-years-old.
“On arrival our staff encountered a large fight that had broken out on to the street, additional staff were called and AOS were deployed to try and break up the disorder,” Paki said.
When the bodies were located, police attempted to provide medical assistance, “but sadly both men were later confirmed deceased.”
A further three men were taken to hospital in a critical condition, he said.
Yesterday afternoon, a 45-year-old man and 21-year-old man remained in a serious but stable condition with suspected stab wounds. A 30-year-old man was in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.
One person was in police custody and being considered a “person of interest”, Paki said. He added that while the incident did involve gang members, it was not itself a rival gang incident.
Due to the nature of this incident, police have a presence at the emergency department of Gisborne Hospital, where access to the emergency department is being managed. The ED remains open to those needing care.
The bodies of the two men remained on Lytton Rd under a police tent yesterday afternoon, as investigations continue.
One Lytton Rd resident, who spoke to Stuff on the condition of anonymity, said he woke up before dawn to find his home inside a police cordon.
He said he’d heard a party down the road on Saturday night - “but that was about it”.
Police will have a visible presence across Gisborne over the coming days, and additional patrols will be carried out to provide reassurance to the community.
Additional police staff have been called in to assist with that effort, he said.
Gisborne Mayor, Rehette Stoltz, told Stuff she was woken yesterday morning by police “reassuring me they had extra police coming into Gisborne”.
She described the incident from Saturday night as a “tragic event”.
“It was heartbreaking for whānau involved, and also for the Gisborne community,” she said.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Stuff he had spoken to the acting commissioner and was “confident” police are deploying adequate resourcing to Gisborne “to get on top of the situation”.