Trial told of confrontation after WINZ shootings
A man abused the Ashburton WINZ shooter and chased him as he left after the killing of two women.
A witness said a Maori man shouted at the gunman and got within 5m to 6m of catching him as he unlocked his bike and cycled away.
The evidence was given before Justice Cameron Mander and a jury on the third day of the trial of Russell John Tully on two charges of murder and two attempted murders.
An electrician, Peter John Sullivan, told of being in his van near the front of the WINZ office when he saw a man in dark clothing and with a balaclava pulled down over his face, holding a firearm and walking from a bike towards the WINZ office.
The man was walking quickly as he looked over a hedge and into the office. He was holding the firearm in both hands, above waist height.
He pulled over and phoned 111, and soon after the man went inside, four or five people came running out the front door of the WINZ office. They were “running for their lives”, he said.
Then the man came back out and ran to the stop sign where his bike was. He thought the man then took the balaclava off, and unlocked his bike.
A Maori man who had come running out of the office earlier then shouted angrily at the gunman from across the road. He shouted: “You bloody bastard. You blew her to bits.” Mr Sullivan then realised something serious had happened.
The Maori man shouted at the gunman at least four times and then started across the road to chase him. “I supposed he was going to belt him up.” He got within 5m to 6m of the gunman before he biked off along Moore Street, towards Willow Street.
The court was shown security camera footage of the events described by Mr Sullivan.
Category: News
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