‘Yelling’ heard from home at centre of homicide probe
A neighbour heard “loud yelling” from a property at the centre of a Hamilton homicide inquiry.
A person was found in the northern suburb of Rototuna early yesterday with critical injuries, but died after efforts by emergency services to resuscitate them failed, police said.
One person has been arrested and a homicide investigation is under way, with police teams continuing to work in Cranmer Close.
The scene had been cordoned off and an area examination was under way, Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Neilson said.
The incident unfolded on a quiet cul-desac in a suburb known more for quiet family life and afternoon walks with the dog than houses surrounded with police tape.
Gohar Hayat, who manages a restaurant in the city, said he was working late before arriving home by 1am. “The street was absolutely
normal,” he said.
But while combing through some latenight emails, Hayat said, he heard “loud yelling” coming from nearby, and went to investigate.
He immediately spotted police, and eventually an ambulance parked outside a property across from his.
“It was a male voice, but at that time the police were there,” Hayat said, and he could not tell if it was police or someone inside the house yelling.
He said it was “very unusual” for an incident like this to happen in the neighbourhood. “That house over there, we’ve lived here two years now and we never saw [the residents].”
Police and scene investigators were parked along Cranmer Close yesterday, with staff in hazmat gear seen erecting a homicide tent just before 11am.
According to others in the street, the family living in the brick home were of Chinese descent and possibly multigenerational.
Some said they were “shocked” and alarmed to hear about the serious innocent that had occurred in their neighbourhood.
“I heard the police cars and the ambulance … the door of the ambulance was open when I went outside,” said another resident, who didn’t want to be named.
“We have a newborn baby, so we are awake at night. We are afraid – we were guessing it was someone from outside the house, so we were really scared.”
Police have been speaking with those involved and are offering support to the victim’s family.