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Andre Chumko / Stuff
The site of the murder of Michael Huata, Mohaka, Hawke’s Bay.
Days of conflict between residents in a remote part of Hawke’s Bay led to the fatal close-range shooting of a man.
Ben Lambert, 22, pleaded guilty Monday morning to the murder of Michael Huata.
He was scheduled to be tried for the murder in Gisborne High Court the same day.
Huata, 29, was shot in the face by Lambert, who was steps away when he pulled the trigger of a sawed-off shotgun, on the night of June 18 last year.
The confrontation in Mohaka, south of Wairoa, was the culmination of several days of conflict, fights, threats and alleged theft between Lambert and other people living in the Mohaka and Raupunga areas.
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On the night of the murder, Lambert drove to a Mohaka home armed with the cut off semiautomatic shotgun. He took a position that allowed him to see the house that contained a man he wanted to confront.
He watched as Huata got there in a car with another resident.
Andre Chumko / Stuff
Huata had climbed a fence and was heading to a neighboring house when he confronted Lambert.
Huata had come to the address because he was concerned about the incidents of the previous days and was concerned for the safety of three children in the house.
At some point in the night, when it was already dark, Huata left the house and climbed a small fence to go to the neighbor’s property.
As he did so, Lambert came into view and told Huata to go back to the house and find the man he wanted to confront.
Huata did not reply and kept advancing towards Lambert. Both men were members of the Black Power gang and had known each other for a long time.
Lambert raised the firearm and told Huata to find the man. Huata paused briefly, fell silent, and continued walking toward Lambert.
Lambert raised the barrel and pointed it at Huata saying “I’m not fucking around my n …..”.
Both men could see each other’s eyes.
Lambert would later say: “I saw fear in people’s eyes and when I looked into his eyes for the last time, I never saw that look in his eyes. I wasn’t scared. “
Andre Chumko / Stuff
Lambert was identified with members of Huata’s family as the likely suspect.
Lambert took a deep breath, raised the barrel, said “I f … my gangsta,” then pulled the trigger.
He was 1.5 meters from Huata, who suffered a massive injury to his lower face and neck.
Huata, who was not armed, was taken to Wairoa Hospital but died of his injuries
Lambert then walked away. About 10 kilometers north of Mohaka, he drove to a secluded area and abandoned the car. He walked through farmland and threw the gun into a stream and then walked down a train track to his home.
Lambert was identified early on as a suspect, but there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime at the time.
He later met with the police and told them that he was the shooter. The firearm was found in the stream.
Lambert initially pleaded not guilty to murder and was due to stand trial in Gisborne Superior Court on Monday.
He will be sentenced next month.
