Police are continuing to investigate the sudden death of a man at a Christchurch residential home in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Officers were called to the Eastern Tce property in Beckenham about 8.20am on Saturday, where a man was found dead. The death was treated as "unexplained" by police at the time.
Earlier this week, it was revealed the man who died was understood to be a gun-collecting pensioner. His Facebook page featured posts about specialist rifles and pistols, while items, including a box with “Crosman Air Guns” written on it, could be seen in the window of his home.
Detective Senior Sergeant Daniel Overend said in statement on Thursday afternoon the full forensic scene examination has finished at the property, and the scene has been formally handed back to the family.
"Officers completed a number of inquiries and are making very good progress in establishing the facts surrounding the man’s death," Overend said.
"A forensic post-mortem has been completed and the results will assist investigators in determining both the cause and the time of death."
He said the deceased man's family have helped police with their inquiries.
"Police have completed an area canvas of the Eastern Terrace neighbourhood, which has helped piece together some of the deceased’s recent movements.
"In addition, a significant amount of CCTV footage has been gathered and is currently being reviewed by the investigation team.
"We’ve made substantial progress since Saturday.
"The information gathered over the past few days has significantly refined the direction of our investigation, and the team is now working with a much clearer understanding of the circumstances surrounding this death.
"Officers are particularly focused on tracing the man’s activities over the past two weeks and are appealing to anyone who may have seen or spoken with him during that time to come forward.
"Police would like to reassure the public that previously circulated information regarding firearms at the address was inaccurate.
"The deceased was a lawful and enthusiastic collector of air guns, which were stored appropriately and pose no concern to public safety.
"There is still a significant amount of work to do, and the investigation team remains keen to hear from anyone who may have information that could assist. Even small details may prove crucial."
- If you have information that may help the investigation, call the police on 105, or anonymously via Crime Stoppers (0800 555 111), and use file number 251004/7850.
