Man accused of killing New Zealand officer appears in court
21 June, 2020
A man charged with the murder of an unarmed policeman that shocked New Zealand made a short courtroom appearance in Auckland on Saturday.
Constable Matthew Hunt, 28, was gunned down throughout a routine traffic stop about Friday and the killing has stunned the normally peaceful country where police usually do not routinely carry firearms.
He's the 23rd officer to get shot dead found in the line of duty found in New Zealand since 1890, with the prior fatal shooting a lot more than 10 years ago.
All details encircling the identification of the 24-year-older arrested man were suppressed.
He spoke briefly to confirm his name but in any other case remained silent and didn't enter a plea during the brief hearing where he was remanded found in custody to reappear early on next month.
The person appeared via video web page link from another part of the courthouse due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Police have confirmed they remain searching for a good 30-year-old woman who is wanted as an item after the fact to the murder.
Hunt, who joined the authorities three years ago and sole recently used in the site visitors enforcement division, was approaching a good crashed car when the gunman opened up fire.
Another officer was wounded and a bystander seriously hurt when the attacker drove away in another vehicle.
Crown prosecutor David Johnstone told the court the case was of high public interest and sought "relatively comprehensive suppression orders" -- like the brands of the accused, the injured officer and the person in the public injured on the incident.
He said the suppression was to "protect the integrity of the investigation", and the authorities had a "significant volume of work to accomplish" on the inquiry.
Source: japantoday.com
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