A dramatic 111 call has been played to a court at the manslaughter trial of a father who shot and killed his 2-year-old daughter.
Gustav Sanft allegedly shot Amokoura Daniels-Sanft in the head at close range with a sawn-off shotgun at a South Auckland address in June last year.
The little girl, also known as “Amo” had been living at the Favona Road address with Sanft, her mother and three siblings.
The family were preparing to move house when the Crown alleges that Sanft aimed the firearm at the toddler to try and scare her after she began “playing up”.
But the defence argues the shooting was an accident, and Sanft never aimed, fired or knew the shotgun was loaded.
Giving evidence this morning witness Katalina Katoa says she was driving near Favona Road when she heard a loud bang.
She pulled over and arrived to a “chaotic scene” where Sanft was holding his daughter’s body.
Katoa phoned 111 – a call which was played to the court.
“I just got to the house and heard a big bang … there is a man holding a child. I don’t think the child is alive.”
She went on to say she saw 2-year-old Amokoura bleeding.
“I have no idea what happened. He’s (Sanft) is screaming and crying holding the child. There’s blood everywhere.”
While Katoa was on the phone to emergency services she told the court she managed to wave down a passing police car.
She said Sanft was hysterical, and didn’t want to put his daughter down.
Neighbour Susana Yuen says she heard arguing coming from the house just before a shot was fired.
“Lots of screaming, and I don’t know what they argue about. Some issue, but I didn’t take notice. But it was getting louder and louder. All the f words were coming out.”
Yuen says she was standing outside having a cigarette when she heard a bang.
“I was at the back of my house, that’s when I heard the gunshot. I’m familiar with the sound of a gun…… When that sound goes I know it was a gunshot.”
“Everything went quiet accept a woman cry”.
The trial continues.
