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New Plymouth Shooting: 'Why did you shoot him?' - Morehu family

Monday 10 June 2013, 5:07PM

By NP Linked Taranaki

1742 views

Police keep scene safe after 'tragic shooting'
Police keep scene safe after 'tragic shooting' Credit: infonews.co.nz

NEW PLYMOUTH

Investigations have been heavy in New Plymouth after a shooting where police killed offender Adam Morehu in New Plymouth early on Saturday.

A post mortem examination on Morehu's body is now complete, and results have identified two fatal gun shot wounds to his torso, police said.

However tasers were used before New Plymouth police shot the man it has been revealed just moments ago.

Morehu and alleged co-offender Kevin Ronald Bishell, 32, who has now been charged, allegedly tripped silent alarms at the Ngamotu Golf Club, off State Highway 3, New Plymouth, just after 4am Saturday morning.

Two male police officers arrived at the golf club to find shattered glass windows, and say they saw two offenders trying to flee the scene on a motorbike.

Police say Morehu became aggressive towards police and told officers he was going to kill them before firing a sawn-off rifle at the officers.

He was then shot by an officer.

"In order to prevent any further speculation I can confirm that a taser was deployed prior to Mr Morehu being shot by Police,'' Central District Commander Superintendent Russell Gibson said.

Yesterday, the grieving Morehu family demanded answers from police, asking "Why did you shoot him?"

Morehu was a childhood friend of Steven Wallace, who was shot dead by Senior Constable Keith Abbott in the New Plymouth suburb of Waitara in 2000.