The pair are on trial at the High Court at Auckland. On the day of the shooting, a dark purple Toyota, driven by Epiha, caught the two constables’ attention and was flagged in the police national intelligence system.
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Constable David Goldfinch describes how the shooter came after him with a gun and how he believed he would die. Constable Goldfinch previously told the court the pair had been on road policing duties with their car stationed on Triangle Rd, in Massey, when Epiha’s “erratic” driving caught his attention, before they caught up with him on Reynella Dr having crashed into a vehicle injuring a man.
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Constable David Goldfinch describes how the shooter came after him with a gun and how he believed he would die. He then got out of the car, shot Hunt dead and fired numerous times at Goldfinch before leaving in a car driven by Bracken. On Friday, Shane Conza told the court how Epiha and a woman, who he now knows to be Bracken, arrived at his Taupaki property shortly before midday. Conza and Epiha had been friends for about six years. “He wanted me to drive him somewhere,” Conza said. Conza took some of Epiha’s belongings out of the Mazda that Bracken had been driving, and put them in his car.
In the hours after shooting constables Matthew Hunt and David Goldfinch killing Hunt Eli Epiha seemed calm, making only one startling but vague admission, an associate of his said at his trial. I just recall him saying he f ed up, Shane Conza recalled the defendant saying as Conza drove him north that June 2020 afternoon, away from the West Auckland neighbourhood where the officers were gunned down. Maybe foolishly, I didn t ask what the Epiha was referring to, Conza continued, maintaining that he knew nothing of the shootings at the time. Sometimes in situations you get a feeling.
Epiha, 25, pleaded guilty last week to Hunt s murder although he maintains it the was the result of recklessness instead of murderous intent. His trial for attempted murder of Constable Goldfinch began this week at the High Court in Auckland.
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As the trial opened, police officers described the chaos of arriving at the Reynella Drive street after reports of “we’re under fire” came across the police radio. Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock told the jury the incident unfolded after a dark purple Toyota, driven by Epiha, caught the two constables’ attention and was flagged in the police national intelligence system.
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Eli Bob Sauni Epiha has denied attempted to murder Constable David Goldfinch. Lights and sirens were activated, but as Epiha attempted to evade the officers, he lost control and crashed into another car. A member of the public, who was loading items into that car, was injured and later taken to hospital.