A man who shot and wounded the president of the Killer Beez gang outside a Harley Davidson shop in Auckland has been jailed for seven years.
Akustino Tae in court after his arrest. Photo: RNZ
Akustino Tae has been sentenced in the High Court in Auckland this morning, after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Tae's victim, Josh Masters, was seriously injured in the shooting outside the motorcycle store on 26 April last year.
At the time police said Tae initially fled the scene, but surrendered himself at Manukau Police Station after they began a hunt for him.
Armed police are standing guard outside the Harley Davidson story in Mt Wellington after a man was shot. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
In a statement acknowledging the sentence, Counties Manukau Police crime manager Detective Inspector Tofilau Fa'a Va'aelua said the shooting was an extremely violent incident which occurred in public and in broad daylight.
"Tae's intended target suffered serious injuries as a result."
The police investigation into the shooting brought a successful conviction, Va'aelua said, "and sends a message that we will hold all of those to account who choose to engage in this needless violence".
