WELLINGTON, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand Police launched a homicide investigation on Friday after a 33-years-old Australian tourist was shot to death by a gunman trying to steal a campervan at Raglan, a small beachside town in the North Island.
Waikato Police launched the investigation following the discovery of a man's body at around 8 a.m. inside a van. Police have been working hard to establish the circumstances surrounding the man's death.
Two occupants, a man and a woman, were inside the campervan at the time and the male offender approached a van and fired a number of shots into the vehicle, injuring the man. The female victim has managed to escape from the van and flee the scene, according to the police.
The offender stole the vehicle and drove off with the injured man inside. The woman, who fortunately was not injured in the incident, reached a nearby address and notified Police.
Police have made immediate enquiries regarding the whereabouts of the offender and the stolen vehicle, which was located later at the site about 75 minutes' drive from the scene of the shooting, with the body of the male victim inside the vehicle, Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley told a media conference.
The man is believed to be an Australian national and police are working with Australian authorities to ensure his next of kin are notified, Pitkethley said, adding police are not able to confirm his identity until formal identification procedures have been carried out.
Police are assisting the murdered tourist's Canadian female partner, who is understandably very shocked and distressed, and ensuring she is provided with support and welfare. Police are working hard to identify and locate the offender.
"This is an absolutely tragic incident. From our enquiries to this point, we believe the victims were not known to the offender and this appears to be a random attack," Pitkethley said while appealing to the public for any sightings of the offender's white Toyota van.
