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Coroner reserves findings in Naitoko inquest

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Tue, 21 Dec 2010 4:25p.m.

Hallatau Naitoko was just 17 when he was shot

Hallatau Naitoko was just 17 when he was shot

A coroner has reserved his findings on the death of a courier driver shot during a police pursuit of a gunman last year.

Halatau Naitoko, 17, was fatally shot on January 23 on Auckland's northwestern motorway by armed police chasing Stephen Hohepa McDonald, who was on a crime rampage.

The inquest was first convened in March but was reconvened by Coroner Gordon Matenga yesterday.

Evidence has mainly centred on a critical examination by former police superintendent Neville Matthews, who said police should have abandoned their pursuit of McDonald about 10 minutes before Mr Naitoko was killed as police were not controlling him and the risk to the public outweighed the need to immediately apprehend him.

Three subsequent police witnesses took a different view, saying the risk of having an offender who had fired a gun several times already go free in the public was too great to give the pursuit up.

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21 Dec 2010 04:55p.m.

Ruz wrote:

It seems extraordinary that the Police have not been held to account for the killing of Halatau Naitoko an innocent courier driver caught up in a pursuit of a known criminal. They have steadfastly refused to take any responsibility, or acknowledge any error of judgement etc. This is a disgrace and an indication of the position the Police will take if other inoccent individuals are shot and killed if guns are issued to Police as regular issue.