A man who sold an air rifle to a man accused of using it to kill a police officer, told a court today as far as he knew it was the first fatality caused by an air-powered weapon.
Ronald Jhen Young, owner of Young Airguns Centre in Mt Roskill, West Auckland, was giving evidence at a depositions hearing for two men jointly charged with murdering Sergeant Don Wilkinson in South Auckland last September.
John Ward Skinner, 37, and Iain Lindsay Clegg, 33, are also jointly charged with attempting to murder another officer, whose name has been suppressed.
Skinner and Clegg did not enter pleas on the second day of the two-week hearing in Manukau District Court.
Mr Young told the court he had been involved with air guns forabout 25 years.
He said on June 4 last year he sold a Monsoon FX 6060 airgun to Skinner. A sales receipt presented to him in court confirmed that.
Mr Young said his store was probably the biggest seller of air guns in the North Island, and this model sold to Skinner for $2100.
"I have a detailed and thorough knowledge of the guns I sell," he said.
"The pneumatics are not very popular, but the Monsoon pre-charged rifles are more popular, and make up about five percent of the market.
"They're more expensive, about $1000-$3000 and have a light trigger."
Mr Wilkinson died at the scene, while his partner survived being shot three times.
They were taking part in an operation to plant a tracking device on a car in the suburb of Mangere in the early hours of September 11.
Meanwhile, Beverly Lawrie, Mr Wilkinson's mother, issued a statement to the news media asking that she not be contacted about his death.
"I have had many members of the media approach me for comments and while I appreciate that they are dedicated in covering all aspects of the story, I feel unable to comment at this time because I wasn't there when Don was killed and because it is too painful and too private for me to discuss publicly," she said.
"Don was my only child and I miss him desperately. I am very proud of my son and for the work he did in trying to counteract the effect of drugs in this country.
"He told me about his work and, like him, I knew it was dangerous but it was what he loved doing.
"His death is a huge loss to the police, to New Zealand and to me and other members of our family."
