Dog lead in fatal Raglan shooting

A dog with a gunshot wound showed up at a rural shop on the day Cedric Maniapoto was found dead, police say.

Maniapoto’s body was found at an address just north of Raglan early on Tuesday morning and police have now confirmed he was shot.

“We are working hard to get to the bottom of what has happened to Mr Maniapoto, and we feel for his immediate and extended whanau who deserve some answers,” said a statement from Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders.

Napier the dog turned up at the local store in Te Uku at 7am with a gunshot wound on the morning Maniapoto was found at an address on Ohautira Rd, he said. This store is roughly seven kilometres from the scene, and police don’t yet know how Napier got to the store with his injuries.

Napier, a medium sized brown and white dog, is recovering well.

“Anyone that was travelling in the area between 10pm on Monday evening (March 4) and 8am on Tuesday morning, could have information that is key to our investigation,” Saunders said.

“Police urge anyone who was there at the relevant times that noticed anything unusual to contact us.

“The area is busy during the day but is quiet at night, and we are interested in speaking to anyone that saw another person or vehicle while passing through the area.

“We would like to hear from anyone that may have seen a dog on the road between the scene location and Te Uku, or if anyone delivered Napier to that location,” said Saunders.

Police are particularly interested in any dashcam footage from Ohautira Rd from late Monday evening to Tuesday morning.

“It is devastating for Mr Maniapoto’s whanau to have to prepare to farewell after a loved one who is so unceremoniously taken away, and we are determined to find who is responsible,” said Saunders.

Anyone with information is asked to call 105, or make a report online at 105.police. govt.nz, clicking “Update Report”.

Please reference the file number 240305/1701.