A man has been arrested in relation to the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Kyle Jenkins on a Northland roadside last week.
The accused appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Tuesday morning on a charge of murder with a firearm.
The 20-year-old was granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody. He did not enter a plea and was next due in the High Court at Whangārei on February 21.
Jenkins’ body was found in a creek next to Otaika Valley Rd — or State Highway 15 — on the morning of January 29.
His motorcycle was found parked nearby in a layby, opposite the entrance to Otaika Valley Scenic Reserve.
Earlier, police said they believed he had been killed between 7pm and 11pm the previous night, January 28.
They appealed for the public to come forward with any information about what happened.
Police working on the investigation — code-named Operation Distant — had set up a dedicated online portal at distant.nc3.govt.nz so people could upload any footage or photos.
Information could also be provided by calling 105 and quoting file number 250129/0335 or, anonymously, via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Otaika Valley Rd was closed for almost two days following Jenkins’ death, which police initially described as unexplained.
Friends have left a tribute at the layby, attaching “Kyle” in painted wooden letters to a guard rail between the layby and the creek.
Jenkins’ funeral is on Tuesday.
The Maungatapere teenager was understood to have worked in a café in central Whangārei.
rnz.co.nz
