Man shot dead by police named
The man who was shot dead by police after he lead them on a 350km police chase early this morning has been named as ex soldier, Caleb Dean Henry, 20, from Opotiki.
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Caleb Dean Henry, 20, from Opotiki
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Henry was a soldier in the New Zealand Army until he was dismissed last year.
"The NZ Defence Force can confirm Mr Henry was a member of the NZ Army from March 2010 until his discharge for disciplinary reasons on 18 July 2012"
"Mr Henry did not deploy on operations during his service. The NZ Defence Force will not be commenting further on this matter" spokesman Todd O'Hara said.
The chain of events started at 7.30pm yesterday evening he entered the house of Alan (66) and Ann (63) Looney where they are assaulted and stabbed and their ute and a firearm have been stolen.
Caleb fled the scene in the vehicle which was later spotted heading over the Kaimai Ranges at 10.30pm by a Tauranga police unit.
Police lost sight of the vehicle but located it a short time later heading towards Rotorua where it changed direction and started heading north towards Cambridge and Hamilton.
Shots were fired from the offender's vehicle in Te Rapa near Hamilton.
Police spiked the vehicle between Tristram Ave and Constellation Drive in Auckland, when the vehicle stopped against the road side shots were fired from the vehicle and police fired back fatally wounding Caleb.
The chase went for around 350km consisting of 3 AOS units a police dog unit and multiple other police units from Tauranga and the Waikato area.
The Looneys had lived in Opotiki almost all their lives and been married more than 30 years, their injuries are not life threatening.
The couple are in Whakatane Hospital for surgery after getting deep cuts to their hands last night from the men who stole their ute and a rifle.
Police have identified a man who died following an armed exchange on the North Shore this morning as Caleb Dean Henry, 20, of Opotiki.
Assistant Commissioner Upper North, Allan Boreham, said Police had informed his next of kin in New Zealand and overseas and were supporting them and the two victims hurt during the initial home invasion.
"Police's first priority in any incident is to ensure the public and our officers are kept safe, and we are saddened for all of the families involved that this has ended in tragedy. We also have two victims who have been left hurt and traumatised, but are very relieved that no-one else was injured during this fast-moving, dangerous and unpredictable situation.
"While there are a number of active investigations still ongoing, our initial inquiries indicate that the Police staff involved displayed considerable skill and judgement in resolving this incident without anyone else getting hurt," Mr Boreham said.
He said Police weren't currently looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. Inquiries were underway in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato, after the stolen vehicle crossed five Police districts and several hundred kilometres.
Police advise that due to their ongoing inquiries at the scene, a section of the Northern Motorway will remain closed this evening. A short diversion will be put in place to divert northbound traffic around the scene. The remainder of the motorway remains open.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen a dark blue Ford Ranger utility as it travelled from Opotiki to Auckland overnight. The vehicle initially travelled towards Rotorua via the Kaimai ranges around 10.30pm before turning north to Auckland. The incident ended about 2am today after the ute came to a stop and shots were exchanged near Sunset Road on the North Shore.
Mr Boreham said the driver had continually attempted to evade Police, firing on officers on at least three different occasions with a high-powered rifle as he drove through the Bay of Plenty, Hamilton and Auckland in the stolen vehicle. Road spikes were deployed near the Bombays and the Victoria tunnel in Auckland to deflate the ute's tyres.
Various Police units, including members of the Armed Offenders Squad were involved in the incident.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who saw or heard anything during the incident, including anyone who found unexplained holes, projectiles or spent cartridges on their property or near their vehicles.
Police have identified a man who died following an armed exchange on the North Shore this morning as Caleb Dean Henry, 20, of Opotiki.
Assistant Commissioner Upper North, Allan Boreham, said Police had informed his next of kin in New Zealand and overseas and were supporting them and the two victims hurt during the initial home invasion.
"Police's first priority in any incident is to ensure the public and our officers are kept safe, and we are saddened for all of the families involved that this has ended in tragedy. We also have two victims who have been left hurt and traumatised, but are very relieved that no-one else was injured during this fast-moving, dangerous and unpredictable situation.
"While there are a number of active investigations still ongoing, our initial inquiries indicate that the Police staff involved displayed considerable skill and judgement in resolving this incident without anyone else getting hurt," Mr Boreham said.
He said Police weren't currently looking for anyone else in relation to the incident. Inquiries were underway in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato, after the stolen vehicle crossed five Police districts and several hundred kilometres.
Police advise that due to their ongoing inquiries at the scene, a section of the Northern Motorway will remain closed this evening. A short diversion will be put in place to divert northbound traffic around the scene. The remainder of the motorway remains open.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen a dark blue Ford Ranger utility as it travelled from Opotiki to Auckland overnight. The vehicle initially travelled towards Rotorua via the Kaimai ranges around 10.30pm before turning north to Auckland. The incident ended about 2am today after the ute came to a stop and shots were exchanged near Sunset Road on the North Shore.
Mr Boreham said the driver had continually attempted to evade Police, firing on officers on at least three different occasions with a high-powered rifle as he drove through the Bay of Plenty, Hamilton and Auckland in the stolen vehicle. Road spikes were deployed near the Bombays and the Victoria tunnel in Auckland to deflate the ute's tyres.
Various Police units, including members of the Armed Offenders Squad were involved in the incident.
Mr Boreham said Police were interested in hearing from anyone who saw or heard anything during the incident, including anyone who found unexplained holes, projectiles or spent cartridges on their property or near their vehicles.