Police investigating the killing of a south Auckland boy are talking to the Weymouth community to build a clearer picture of him.
John Xavier Andrew Hapeta, 14, known to his family as "John John", was bashed to death by two men outside his home in Justamere Place on Tuesday night. A handgun and a hammer were used.
Detective Inspector John Tims says the attack was not random and he is not ruling out drug or gang links.
He says they will be talking to the boy's friends and family in order to get a clearer picture of what he was really like.
Descriptions have been issued of two men seen running from the scene. Both are Maori who were wearing black hoodies.
One is described as tall while the other, thought to be between 18 and 20 years of age, is of stocky build.
Recent killings
The incident in Weymouth was the latest in a series of killings in South Auckland:
Navtej Singh was fatally shot during a robbery at his liquor store in Manurewa on 7 June.
Yan Ping Yang, 80, was beaten unconscious in her Manurewa home on 11 June and died three days later.
Business owner Joanne Wang, 39, died of head injuries after being hit by a car at Westfield Shopping Centre in Manukau on 16 June as she tried to stop a man driving away with her stolen handbag.
