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The son of a gang leader is fighting for his life after a double shooting north of Christchurch, sparking fears of tit-for-tat violence.
Police were called to a property in Kaiapoi around 3:30 a.m. Monday after a man arrived seeking help. That man, Fairmont Joseph Wiringi, a patched member of the Mongrel Mob Aoteaora, had been shot in the arm and torso and was taken to Christchurch Hospital in serious condition. There he remains in a coma.
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At around 5 a.m., a second man was left at the hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm. He was not seriously injured.
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John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
Fairmont Joseph Wiringi is in serious condition after a shooting in Christchurch.
Wiringi is the son of Mongrel Mob Aotearoa president Joseph “Junior” Wiringi, and brother of patched Mob member Fairlane Wiringi.
The other injured man is a patched member of the Rebel Motorcycle Club.
All Canterbury police officers have been told to carry firearms until those responsible for the shooting are caught.
It is understood that there are concerns among top brass that the incident could lead to tit-for-tat violence.
The two people who left the gang member Rebels at the hospital are in police custody.
Both people, one of whom is believed to be a member of the Mongols MC gang, were assisting police with their investigations, a spokeswoman said.
“Those involved in this incident are believed to know each other and there is no risk to the community at large,” he said.
Police cordoned off part of Aldersgate St in Kaiapoi on Monday while investigating the shooting.
Stacy Squires / Stuff
Armed police and search teams examine the Whitefield St, Kaiapoi cordon.
A nearby resident said he heard a single gunshot early Monday but believed it was a firework and fell asleep again.
Another Whitefield St resident said he heard a gunshot early Monday morning.
He walked to the front window and saw two cars heading off in opposite directions, a black one that looked like a “white taxi,” but saw nothing else.
Another Kaiapoi property, on Peak Cres, was also cordoned off Monday.
Wiringi was sentenced to 15 months in prison in October after pleading guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cannabis, not allowing the police to search his phone and violating the Health Law.
On April 13, the 18th day of New Zealand’s Level 4 lockdown, Wiringi was detained by police in Christchurch at 10.56pm. He was unable to offer any valid reason for leaving home.
When police searched the vehicle, they found an illegally cut firearm under the front passenger seat. Identification functions, including serial numbers, have been removed. Wiringi does not have a firearm license.
Police also found 3.3 grams of methamphetamine and 2.25 g of cannabis.
Sam Sherwood / Stuff
Police appear to be interested in this property on Aldersgate St in Kaiapoi in connection with the shooting of two people early Monday. January 4, 2021
Wiringi’s daughter was born while he was in custody, and he had never seen her in person until his sentencing. His partner and baby, along with other whānau, were in court to support him at the hearing.
In a letter to Judge Stephen O’Driscoll, Wiringi said that the birth of her daughter had been a turning point in her life, and she felt her life had meaning and purpose for the first time.
“I am confident and determined to step forward and be the man my partner and daughter need me to be,” he said.
Judge O’Driscoll said he believed Wiringi was sincere when he said he wanted to make better decisions for his future.
Sam Sherwood / Stuff
Police are also looking at a property in Peak Cres, Kaiapoi
At the request of Wiringi’s attorney, Judge O’Driscoll allowed Wiringi’s partner to deliver their baby to him on the dock, so he could hold her for a few minutes before a correctional officer took him away.
“I hope I never see you again, Mr. Wiringi,” said Justice O’Driscoll.
Canterbury District Acting Commander Detective Superintendent Tom Fitzgerald said Stuff On Monday an order to arm the front-line personnel was issued.
“The blanket order to arm is due to the increased risk to personnel as a result of this morning’s shooting and the ongoing investigations into it.
“Until all those responsible are located, the personnel will be armed for the next 24 hours.”
Officers were looking for people who could be armed, and there was “increased tension” between those involved, he said.
The double shooting follows a series of violent incidents in the Greater Christchurch area over the past week.
Stacy Squires / Stuff
Police cordon off property in Kaiapoi after a double shooting early Monday morning.
Four people were charged with the murder of a Christchurch man after a New Years Eve party at the South Island headquarters of the international motorcycle gang Mongols MC.
Police are also investigating the death of a man on England St in Linwood, Christchurch, on Sunday afternoon.
A police spokeswoman previously said they were “working to determine all the circumstances” of the man’s death and that an autopsy would be carried out on Monday.
On December 29, a man was seriously injured on Newmark St in Bishopdale, Christchurch.
It is unclear if any of the incidents are linked.
Staff Photographer / Stuff
Photo of Rota Beattie during a court appearance in 2004.
In July last year, Mongrel Mob vice president of the Aotearoa chapter, Rota Beattie, died after having a seizure at her Christchurch home five years after she was shot in the back of the neck.
The identity of the shooter remains a mystery to police, who have never pressed charges in connection with the 2015 mob incident.
Beattie went to the grave refusing to cooperate with investigators.
It was long suspected that a member of the Headhunters, a rising force in the city’s underworld at the time, shot Beattie, but police have never been able to prove it.
Canterbury District Crime Director Detective Inspector Greg Murton previously said that Beattie and other potential witnesses refused to cooperate with police, “significantly hindering” the investigation.
The case had been “shelved,” Murton said, meaning it was no longer being investigated by police.
