Appeal to driver to come forward


Police are hoping their latest appeal will help a homicide investigation by finding the person who was driving a red Ford Falcon which fatally hit Dunedin man Sean Buis.

Detective Senior Sergeant Nik Leigh said officers were "definitely" making good progress in their efforts to identify those who were at the scene in Mornington when Mr Buis died on July 21.

The large pool of people investigators had started with had been narrowed down considerably and police were in the process of speaking to people of interest, Det Snr Sgt Leigh said.

The Ten 7 Aotearoa broadcast last night was focused on identifying the driver of a red Ford Falcon, which police believe ran down Mr Buis.

He told the programme that on that night, Mr Buis had parked at the Unity Park lookout, overlooking Dunedin, with an associate, with the intention of meeting someone else.

However, two vehicles had pulled up, including the red Ford Falcon, which included "someone they weren’t expecting".

Mr Buis left his car and went on foot to Eglinton Rd where he was run down by the red Falcon, which had been at the car park, Det Snr Sgt Leigh said.

The Falcon was recovered by police 10 days later and a scene reconstruction completed, which showed its movements.

CCTV footage of the car before the fatal crash also showed it with working fog lights, and a later analysis found damage to the front of the car.

The appeal for information was a chance for the driver to give their account, Det Snr Sgt Leigh said

Other friends or associates would also know what happened and detectives were interested in talking to them, too, including anyone who might have been with the driver.

"Those people will know who they are. Again, we’re inviting them to come and give their account," Det Snr Sgt Leigh said.

Police were remaining open-minded and several scenarios were being considered.

oscar.francis@odt.co.nz

 

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