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Police investigating the death of a 21-year-old man in south Auckland last Saturday are searching for two men who attacked him and then fled.
Nigel Fuatimu
Photo: SUPPLIED / New Zealand Police
Nigel Fuatimu died at Jellicoe Park in Manurewa from injuries sustained during the attack, which is believed to have been random and unprovoked.
Police in a statement said Fuatimu and three friends had been drinking the night of the attack and headed to the park around 11 p.m. They were playing loud music from a Bluetooth speaker when two men approached them.
A fight broke out and Fuatimu was killed at the scene.
The attack is believed to have been “random and unprovoked”.
Police said they know there was more than one criminal and that up to four people could have been involved. They are described as Pacific Islanders.
Acting Detective Inspector Warrick Adkin said there was no indication the attackers knew of Fuatimu.
“The witness statements that we have obtained so far indicate that the attackers are from the Pacific islands. We know that there were two men involved, but these men were part of a larger group where there could be up to four people involved,” he said.
Adkin said a large team of police officers was working to establish more detailed physical descriptions and work on a series of items recovered from Jellicoe Park, which “may or may not be related” to the attack.
He did not want to confirm whether a weapon had been used.
Adkin said that Fuatimu’s friends had been cooperating with the investigation and that the Manurewa community had been “fantastic” in their support.
He urged everyone with information about the attack to contact the police, including anyone who was in the area and remembered “quite loud” music played at the social gathering.
“We believe that there are people within the community who know exactly what happened in Jellicoe Park last Saturday night around 11 pm and know the identity of the people involved,” he said.
“The police are urging the people involved to do the right thing for Mr. Fuatimu and his family.
“We ask that you also do the right thing and contact the police so that we can bring closure to Mr. Fuatimu’s family.”
Adkin urged people to contact the police if they knew anything about the identities of the people involved.
Anyone with information about this incident or the identities of those involved should contact Manukau County Police on 09 261 1321 or report information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 – referencing Operation Preston.
