11 Mar 2019

Māngere fatal shooting latest in string of crime, local board chair says

9:18 am on 11 March 2019

A Māngere community leader says the latest violent death in the suburb is a further blow to the community.

Police guard the scene where a man died early Sunday morning

Police guard the scene where a man died early Sunday morning Photo: RNZ / Sarah Robson

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting of a man found dead outside a block of shops in the South Auckland neighbourhood yesterday.

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board chair Lemauga Lydia Sosene told Morning Report families in the community worked hard to make ends meet and this was a blow to their resilience.

People in the community had been drinking excessive amounts of alcohol near the block of shops, Ms Sosene said.

The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board had been challenging the renewal of the "far too many" off-licence alcohol stores in the area, she said

"Obviously there is a place for alcohol but not on every corner shop."

The man was found in a very vibrant part of Māngere, right next to a primary school, she said.

"There's been issues across the ward in terms of anti-social behaviour and police have had to be very focused on solving and bringing investigations together.

"There's probably a number of things at the root of it. Our community at Māngere-Ōtāhuhu ... we are a resilient community and we punch above our weight but we have a number of challenges."

Meanwhile, residents in Māngere Bridge are still waiting to hear back from local authorities about a notorious public hangout where a man was shot and another injured last month.

Mangere Bridge Residents and Ratepayers Association is holding a public meeting this Wednesday to talk about the trouble spot near the local boat ramp.

Its chairperson, Val Payne, said police had been patrolling the area and antisocial behaviour seemed to have abated.

At a community meeting last month, residents told officials about sleepless nights, dumped rubbish - including shotgun shells - and other antisocial behaviour.

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