Police emails seen by RNZ reveal officers planned to hide "ninja style" close to Shargin Stephens' house late at night to try and catch him breaching bail.
The emails show police planned random and multiple bail checks on Mr Stephens and egged each other on.
One officer addressed his colleagues as "fellow nightstalker bros" and another signed off with "happy hunting".
Mr Stephens, who was frustrated at night-time bail checks and texted a friend complaining that police "won't let me sleep", was shot and killed in Rotorua in 2016 after lashing out and smashing up an empty police car.
Guyon Espiner has been investigating the story and spoke to Morning Report.
