Source: Radio New Zealand
Benjamin Harry Timmins. Supplied
A man found dead after a shooting in Waitārere Beach near Levin last month was stabbed, police say.
The man, identified by his sister as 60-year-old Benjamin Harry Timmins, was found dead on 14 January.
A 46-year-old woman and two males aged 17 and 21 remain in a critical condition.
Police initially said all four people had been shot, but they now believe the man suffered stab wounds.
Police earlier revealed they had responded to a family harm-related incident at the same property on 9 January.
They seized a dismantled gun, parts and ammo from the property, and Timmins was arrested and charged with assault on a family member.
He was due in court on the day of the shootings.
Timmins’ sister Rach O’Grady earlier told RNZ she was concerned by the picture his past would paint, and that he was more than just his criminal history, which included cannabis and firearms offences.
She said in recent years he had “lost is spark for life”, and she blamed failures of the mental health support system for his death.
O’Grady told RNZ she hoped the police investigation would bring answers.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
