DRAMATIC STORY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27345, 22 March 1950, Page 6

DRAMATIC STORY

Shooting Of Airman TRAGEDY AT RNZAF STATION PA CHRISTCHURCH, Mar. 21. The story of the events leading up to the shooting of Aircraftman Waata Haremia Homo at the RNZAF station at Weedons early on the morning of December 14 was given today by the officer commanding the station, Squadron Leader Gerald Sinclair Evatt, before the commission of inquiry, Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M. Sir Arthur Donnelly, with him Mr A. W. Brown, appeared for the Crown, Mr T. A. Gresson for the RNZAF and the Air Department, Mr R. A. Youn°, for the Police Department, Mr C. S. Thomas for the officer commanding at Weedons (Squadron Leader Gerald Sinclair Evatt), Mr W. F. Tracy for Momo’s mother, Mr W. R. Lascelles for Mrs Geraldine Mary Jarman, a friend of Momo's, and Mr B. J. Drake for Momo’s widow.

Squadron Leader Evatt said that Momo was his orderly room clerk, and so he knew him better than he knew any other airman on the station. Momo's intelligence was above normal. He was a good worker and a good athlete, but inclined to be temperamental.

About 11.5 p.m. on December 13, the squadron leader received a telephone message asking if he would go to the guardhouse, as there was some trouble, and the men in charge had a prisoner they could not hold. He found Momo standing in a cell with a piece of glass in his hand. Momo said: “I’ll do you in or anyone else that comes in,” Squadron Leader' Evatt told Momo not to be silly, and that he would send for the padre. Momo then told Squadron Leader Evatt of his marriage, of his love affair with another woman, and his alleged striking of an orderly officer. Momo said he had been drinking at the wet canteen, and when he was pushed out he turned round and accidental struck the orderly officer.'He wps most ashamed of it, and said he did not mean to do it. Momo further said that he had learned that day that the woman he was in love with wanted nothing more to do with him. Tea was brought, and after that Momo seemed to be all right. Squadron Leader Evatt told Momo he needed a good sleep and Momo asked if he could sleep in his own hut as the cell was cold, with its broken window. The squadron leader said he could sleep in a room at the guardhouse, but Momo said he was a Maori and his hut was sacred to him. He had things there which were a comfort to him. The squadron leader agreed on condition that Momo would take a sedative. A sedative was given, and Momo seemed to get drowsy. Squadron Leader Evatt then went to see the orderly officer, Flying Officer Harrington, and at that moment he heard shots.

Long Conversation Squadron Leader Evatt said he was speaking to Airman Cradwick in the telephone exchange when he heard the shots. Cradwick said that Momo was coming in. The receiver was dropped and then Momo spoke. The commanding officer said he accused Momo of shooting' at Cradwick, which Momo denied. He spoke for about two hours to Momo, trying to persuade him to throw his rifle out of the window. From time to time Momo put down the receiver, after saying that someone was trying to get into the exchange, and fired a shot. When the squadron leader suggested that he should go and t see Momo the latter replied: “I’ll shoot you.” His reason for holding Momo in conversation, said Squadron Leader Evatt, was to keep Momo where he was,, and to keep him from indiscriminate shooting. About 4 a.m. Momo told him that smoke bombs had been thrown into the exchange and their conversation ended.

Visiting the guardroom. Squadron Leader Evatt saw both police and airmen armed with rifles, some of them shooting. He later saw Momo’s body. He realised, said Squadron Leader Evatt, in answer to the commission, that'if he had not released Momo the latter would not have been shot, but many factors entered into his decision to let Momo go to his own quarters. Asked by Sir Arthur Donnelly (for the Crown) whether he did not think he should have organised the 40 or so airmen on the station to apprehend Momo, Squadron Leader Evatt said that he was “tied to the phone.” By holding Momo in conversation for two hours, he ensured that Momo stayed in the exchange. Had Momo left there to roam about the camp armed, others would probably have been shot. The effectiveness of his decision was shown by the fact that no others were shot. Asked by Sir Arthur whether he considered, that he had adequately discharged his duty as commanding officer of the station, Squadron Leader Evatt said that he considered he had done so in keeping Momo in the exchange. Other measures were being carried out adequately by the duty officer. To Mr T. A. Gresson, for the RNZAF and the Air Department, Squadron Leader Evatt said that, had he known that Momo had assaulted Flying Officer Harrington, he would not have released him, but Momo told him that it had been an accident. In this Momo successfully deceived him.

He did not know there was any ammunition in the guardhouse until after the shooting, said Squadron Leader Evatt. If the standing orders had been obeyed, there would have been n 6 ammunition there, and therefore there would have been no shooting. Asked by the commission whether he considered Momo to have been a fit and proper person to be a member of the RNZAF, Squadron Leader Evatt said that Momo had proved untruthful, emotional, inclined to act a. part, and eventually dangerous. He did not know that Momo had been convicted of presenting a firearm. A station commander’s task was rendered much more difficult, he agreed, if unsatisfactory men were sent to him. M T C hiF Evidence of Witnesses Sergeant William Kelso said that before Momo left the guardhouse he seemed to get stirred up again. There were nine or ten rifles in a corner of the guardroom, and 1 while witness's attention was attracted elsewhere for a moment, Momo got a rifle and bayonet. Witness tried to rush him, but Momo held the rifle and bayonet ready. Momo then backed into the corridor, kicked open the door of the back room, went in and shut the door. Momo fired two shots through the door, and if witness and Airman Marshall had not left the corridor they would have been hit. Momo called out to them to clear out and they left the guardhouse. Sergeant Clarence Robert Clarke said he heard shots fired when a taxi arrived at the gate. Witness told the driver that an airman had gone berserk and the driver should clear out. At this stage Momo appeared from the rear of the taxi with a rifle. The driver turned towards Christchurch, but Momo ordered him to turn the taxi the other way. The driver turned south and-drove away. A.C.I John George Marshall said that when Momo was in the back room at the guardhouse with a rifle witness tried to open the door, but Momo kept it shut. Witness gave details of what happened from then until the police arrived. He could see Momo in the exchange, and Momo fired a number of shots. Witness fired three shots in the direction of Momo, but he could not have hit him, for Momo was still kneeling when witness lowered his rifle. There was a loud burst of firing, and Momo fell. The inquiry was adjourned until tomorrow.