An Auckland resident first at the scene of a shooting of a police officer on Friday has described the aftermath of the tragic incident.
On Saturday, in the midst of unimaginable grief, family hugged and cried together on the footpath of Raynella Dr. They laid flowers and paused together to remember Constable Matthew Hunt, who just 24 hours earlier lost his life in the line of duty.
Nearby resident Paula Kohinoa was the first at the scene.
"I saw the officer touching the officer like 'wake up, wake up' and he's still not moving," Kohinoa told Newshub.
The surviving officer and injured resident then moved to safety.
Const Hunt lay lifeless in the middle of the street.
"First thing on my mind was to help him, the officer, and second to call the ambulance."
Kohinoa's car remains inside the cordon. He used it to stop traffic, but a rubbish truck and bus tried to pass.
"I have to run and say 'stop, stop, you can't come here, please move back.'"
By then, a backup police car had arrived.
"They both yelled 'don't move, don't move'… I can't do anything more than help. That's the thing for me. I have to follow what the officer says."
What unfolded was a day-long manhunt for the shooter in west Auckland that ended late on Friday night.
The 24-year-old man arrested by police showed no emotion when he appeared in the Waitakere District Court on Saturday morning charged with the murder of Const Hunt, an officer police say had been in his dream job for just three years.
"For me when I see the officer's face, I still remember him. I really see him. He's a young guy," says Kohinoa.
Const Hunt is described by his family as a person of great integrity who treated his closest friends like his brothers and sisters.
But on Saturday, even strangers were stopping in the street to remember his life that came to a sudden and tragic end on the quiet streets of west Auckland.
