Spike in homicides across NZ
Thirteen killed by others since level 4 lockdown ended
Homicides appear to have spiked across New Zealand since Kiwis came out of lockdown — with 13 people dead, including five just last week.
Crime dropped dramatically during the Covid-19 lockdown, which saw the nation stay home for more than a month unless they needed to leave for essential work or to get supplies.
The lockdown restrictions ended at 11.59pm on Monday April 27, and since then 13 people have died as a result of violence.
One man was also shot dead by police.
Last week alone police announced five different homicide investigations were under way after alleged murders.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers, who oversees investigations and serious crime, could not comment on what may be behind the spike or if there were any trends emerging.
“Any homicide is obviously a concern for police, and the recent cases are all the subject of extensive investigations, or are already before the courts,” he said.
“We have no comment we can offer outside of that.”
Sources told the Herald the figures were not hugely unusual and the homicides seemed to be a mix of domestic, gang or organised crime and altercation incidents.
They said while crime dropped across the board during the lockdown and the following lower level 3 restrictions, serious crimes did increase.
The most recent murder was in Moerewa in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Krillan Koni Brown, 18, was
stabbed to death at an address on Snowdon Ave.
Earlier last week a man was fatally stabbed at a boarding house in Northcote on Auckland’s North Shore. Another
resident has been charged with murder, and faces a second count of injuring another man.
And the most high-profile recent murder was the man found dead in an Auckland street after a shooting in the suburb of St Johns. t is understood that incident is gang- and drugrelated. No arrest had been made at edition time last night.