The man wanted over a fatal shooting on Auckland’s Ponsonby Rd on Sunday night has been found dead at a rural property near Taupō, police confirmed this morning.
A manhunt had been underway for 31-year-old Hone Kay-Selwyn, who is alleged to have shot a person dead in the Auckland suburb.
At a standup this morning, Detective Inspector Chris Barry confirmed Kay-Selwyn had been found dead at a rural address in the Broadlands area.
Kay-Selwyn was found by an associate while police were travelling to the Taupō region in search of him.
Barry said the death is currently being treated as “unexplained”. He said that while police are unable to put a time on when he died, “we understand it would have been yesterday at some stage”.
He also confirmed the “male that we were seeking is a member of the Killer Beez gang”.
Barry said that while a post-mortem examination is yet to take place, police believe he is the man they had sought in relation to the shooting. The man’s body currently remains at the property where it was found, he added.
Barry said Auckland and Bay of Plenty Police will be collaborating “as we work through this part of the investigation”.
“The wider police investigation into the homicide remains ongoing.
“Our investigation team will continue to piece together the information received to date, and we will continue to make inquiries on behalf of the coroner.
“Police have notified the victim’s family of these developments, and we have been in touch with the family of the man sought.”
Kay-Selwyn — who police allege pulled a gun from a shoulder bag and fired shots during the incident — was earlier pictured in surveillance camera footage released by authorities.
The victim was with a group of people at the time of the shooting and was found dead when police arrived.
On Monday, Barry said Kay-Selwyn had tried to enter a bar on Ponsonby Rd, “however was denied entry as it was closing”.
“He was seen lingering on Ponsonby Rd towards the Richmond Rd end.
A group of four people, including the victim, exited a parked car on Ponsonby Rd at around 10.15pm and walked in Kay-Selwyn’s direction, Barry said.
After this, “multiple” shots were fired — and Kay-Selwyn was seen walking south on Ponsonby Rd, in the direction of Richmond Rd.
A woman, who claimed to be Kay-Serlwyn’s partner, expressed remorse for the shooting in a now-deleted Facebook post.
She said her inbox had been “overflowing” with messages about her partner’s alleged actions, RNZ reported.
“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim. I’m deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about the situation.”
The woman said she was “grappling” with the fact he had allegedly killed someone.