George Charles Taiaroa
The Police National Dive Squad will be scouring the
Waikato River today near where a road worker was shot dead,
looking for evidence that might help the homicide
investigation.
Hamilton man George Charles Taiaroa, 67, was shot while
manning a stop-go sign on Tuesday afternoon.
The shooting happened near Tokoroa on Tram Rd, a short
stretch of rural road in the Kinleith Forest area which
bridges the Waikato River.
The dive squad will be searching the site for most of the
day, a police spokeswoman said.
"The dive search is part of the scene examination process
looking for anything that might assist the investigation,"
she said.
She would not confirm if the team was looking for a weapon in
the river.
Police investigating the shooting of Mr Taiaroa said they
were encouraged by the positive response from the community.
Several other people at the scene saw what looked like a blue
Jeep Cherokee speeding off towards Tirohanga Rd.
Dozens of calls had been made to the investigation team and
there was a regular and steady flow of information,
particularly around sightings of the vehicle.
Detective Inspector Mark Loper said earlier a vehicle was
stopped, before the shooting, to let a truck cross over the
bridge on Tram Rd.
"Once that truck cleared the bridge, a 4x4 motor vehicle
drove off from where it had been stopped near the victim.
"As it did so the victim was seen to fall to the ground," Mr
Loper said.
Mr Taiaroa's body was removed from the area on Wednesday
morning and was yesterday taken to Auckland for a post-mortem
examination, which confirmed he was fatally shot.
Detective Inspector Tim Anderson said it was still too early
in the investigation to speculate about motives.
No one had been arrested at this stage.
"Currently we have over 30 experienced staff assisting with
completing area inquiries."
Mr Anderson said he believed the homicide was an isolated
incident.
Anyone with information should contact Taupo police on (07)
378 6060, or anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800
555111.
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