Killer Beez member shot after jail release

O’Neill told the Parole Board that the gang kept him safe in prison

A slain Killer Beez gang member told the Parole Board he felt safe in prison just months before being released back into the community where he was shot dead.

Rory William O’Neill was killed at a home in Blockhouse Bay, West Auckland, in the early hours of November 4, two months almost to the day he had been released from prison following a four-year sentence for injuring, intentional damage, possessing a firearm and unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle.

Police initially said they weren’t looking for anyone else in relation to the shooting, which they described as “unexplained”, but later confirmed a homicide investigation was under way. They said O’Neill was “known to police”.

No arrests have been made and police declined to respond to questions from the Weekend Herald, including whether the shooting was gang related.

The 34-year-old was seen by the Parole Board in July and his final parole report reveals he had racked up 53 convictions and had served a number of jail terms.

He openly admitted he was a Killer Beez member, agreeing it wasn’t positive but explained the gang kept him safe in prison.

“He explained his ongoing association by saying that they are his safety network in prison. He acknowledged that this association rolls over into the community,” the report says.

The Killer Beez are a street gang that has been operating since the

He explained his ongoing association by saying that they are his safety network in prison. O’Neill’s final parole report

early 2000s, having formed in South Auckland. Its president, Josh Masters, is serving a lengthy prison sentence for drug-related offending.

O’Neill told the board he had planned to better himself after prison and hoped to become a gib-stopper. A representative from the prison said O’Neill was “generally pretty good” in jail.

O’Neill was declined parole at that hearing in July but was released when his sentence ended two months later, on September 2.

A psychological report noted O’Neill had a “high risk of further violent offending as he is yet to address his propensity for violence”, the board said in its report.

O’Neill’s funeral was held in the Hauraki district town of Waihi, where police were on standby.

Contact

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Avondale CIB on (09) 820 5784. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.