Man, daughter shot dead

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32567, 29 March 1971, Page 1

Man, daughter shot dead

(New Zealand Frees Association) GISBORNE, March 28. After a four-hour drama in Gisborne this morning, an armed man surrendered to members of the Gisborne and Napier police armed offenders squads.

This came after an incident last night in a house at Whangara, about 20 miles from Gisborne, in which a man and a woman were shot dead.

The persons shot dead were James Leach, married, aged

Rae Leach, aged 25, his daughter. f

The drama began when the Gisborne police received a call at 8.51 pjn; yesterday, when Mr Leach reported that a man armed with a rifle was in a house at Whangara. The telephone line remained open throughout the whole incident at whangara, and after four shots were heard over a period of about 12 minutes, another voice, thought to be that of the second victim, was heard to say: “Will you put that gun down? There is a man in the house.'’

Then another voice said that someone had been shot, and at 9.47 p.m. a voice over the phone said: “Rae has been shot. I think that dad is dead.”

When they arrived at the scene, the police confirmed that two persons had been shot.

The Gisborne police were notified that a man in possession of a .303 rifle and some ammunition might be on the way to Gisborne, and a check point was set up about four miles from Gisborne.

The Gisborne armed offenders’ squad and a police constable with a dog were called out, and they were latet joined by a similar group from Napier. A car had been seen by a police photographer eight miles from Gisborne about 10.35 p.m. but it was not until shortly before 6 a.m. today that the car the police were seeking went past the check point.

Constables T. Toye and R. F. Read, gave chase, and followed the car at high speed down Wainui Road.

The car pulled into ji private drive and a man jumped out and ran across the road into the undergrowth. By 6.10 a.m. further police reinforcements had arrived and the area was cordoned off. Radio appeals were made to residents in the area to stay indoors and immobilise all vehicles.

Voice appeals were begun to the armed man from a police car about 75 yards away. A constable also spoke to the man in Maori.

Asked at one stage how much ammunition he had, the man replied: “Enough.” A fellow employee unsuccessfully appealed to the man, who at one stage stood up and moved to the road verge, but then moved back. His sister later arrived.

Shortly before 10 a.m. the man asked his sister to walk back to where police vehicles were parked round a bend in the road. He sat on the bank and at one stage pointed the rifle at himself, but at 10.27 aan. he stood up without the rifle and walked slowly on to the roadway.