Halatau and the police?
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=24016
Printed Date: 13 December 2025 at 4:19am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Halatau and the police?
Posted By: Danaj
Subject: Halatau and the police?
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:09am
|
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on 17 year old Halatau and the police shooting.
I have to say it's a tricky one. My first reaction was anger that the police had done this, but then I tried to put myself in the shoes of the AO squad and then it became a far more complicated situation. Obviously the Police officers wouldn't have wanted to shoot him and I can't imagine they would have fired if they new he was in their line of fire, but how did it happen? I really feel for his poor family and it blows me away everytime I see his mother on the news saying she doesn't blame anyone. That's one tough lady. I wonder how she's going to feel about the whole thing once the shock wears off. Not to mention the poor lady is due to give birth today. ------------- http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wyI1oWn/"> 
|
Replies:
Posted By: AuntieSarah
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:12am
|
It's a hard one huh. I feel for the police officer though, like you say it's not like they would have done it on purpose, I'm sure the person who fired the shot just feels absolutely awful.
Of course, can't say how I'd feel if it was someone close to me that had been shot. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: CuriousG
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:32am
|
I also feel its very hard to answer. It was an accident and people do have to accept (in time) that but it doesn't make it any easier for either the officer or the family.
I would be more angry at the offender, they are the reason why this all happened. Its like something out of LA, not Auckland! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: BugTeeny
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:33am
|
hehe I'm going to go completely off topic here - sorry.
Dana! Happy due date!! Awesome day to have a baby!! 
------------- 
|
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:40am
|
I feel very sorry for Halatau's family, the police officer and their family because they all have to live with this. IMO it was tragedy and the only person that should shoulder the blame is the asshole that was on the run brandishing a rifle, if it weren't for him this sad and tragic accident wouldn't have happened. It's awful that Halatau's 3 kids will grow up without their Dad. -------------  
|
Posted By: Danaj
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 9:17am
|
I'm confused about how many kids he has. I know about the 2 year old girl and I'm sure the News said at the beginning that his wife to be was pregnant with twins, then it said she had a m/c at Xmas. If she had a m/c at Xmas, how do they know about the twins? Or have I just got the whole thing muddled up......
It sucks either way, for the family and the babies. I can't imagine having such a terrible thing happen. The horrible part is that not only has their lives been destroyed, but the officer that took the shot will suffer for the rest of his life too. Thanks pickle  All I need now is a baby LOL. ------------- http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wyI1oWn/">
|
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 9:39am
|
I didn't hear about the mc. What I read was that he has a 2yo and his wife is due with twins next month. Maybe the mc was last Christmas. -------------
|
Posted By: fire_engine
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:07am
It's all pretty tragic and lots happened in my neighbourhood (a couple of houses down from Daniel's carer  ). They still don't know if it was a direct shot or if it ricocheted (sp) off a car/van.
I agree Jo, the (alleged) idiot (bastard) should be shouldering the blame for this. I really feel for the AOS guys - I imagine they would be going through hell now. And awful for his partner and kid(s).  . ------------- Mum to two wee boys |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:21am
|
It's just a miserable situation all round. I totally agree that it's the idiot with the gun's fault. I feel dreadful for th poor man's family, and for the police involved.
I just hope the media doesn't thrash the police too much. I'm sure they feel dreadful enough already. -------------   
|
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 11:52am
In the Sunday Herald yesterday there was an interview with the fiance, she had a mc in December,(as in the one just been ) it didn't mention anything about her being pregnant with twins , or one , now. They were planning a valentines wedding as well , so they would have been getting married next month , poor thing I feel bad for the family, the police officer who shot him, and blame the a**hole who caused the whole tragedy in the first place. ------------- 
|
Danaj wrote:Posted By: HippyMama
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 11:53am
|
Unfortunately, this kind of thing is a police officers worst nightmare...
I pretty much echo what you ladies have already said, it is a *huge* tragedy for all involved... DH on the other hand *sigh*  ------------- Mama to two earth walkers & two angels. Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being. ~ Kittie Franz Next Slingbabies! Meet - Friday 4th May !! |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 12:41pm
|
I think its absolutely horrible and so sad but I do have to woner how it all happened I mean we don't know the story and there will be a huge investigation so it must be a horrible time for the guy that did shoot him.
I do think there are two separate issues here, one is the idiot who caused it all and I hope he gets what he deserves. The other is whether or not the police went about it the right way because killing an innocent child is a horrible mistake to make and not something anyone should get off lightly for if they did something wrong. Either way I hope there is a lot of support for both the victims family and the police officer who shot him. |
Posted By: MrsH23
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 1:07pm
|
I feel so sorry for the families of all involved and I hope that they are all getting the support that they need! I cannot begin to imagine how hard it would be for Halatau's family
I've just seen a picture on the Herald website which shows where everyone was when the shooting happened, for me it makes it easier to understand. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10553585 - NZ Herald Link ------------- Lisa mummy to Ryan http://www.alterna-tickers.com"> 
|
Posted By: susieq
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 1:08pm
| I feel sorry for the policeman, for Hals family too and yesterday as kelly said was no mention of due with twins, only that she had had a miscarriage and that they were getting married |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 1:28pm
|
I feel so sad for his family, what a terrible tragedy.
I also feel for the officer involved as this will change his life and he will never be able to forget it. Having said that, he/she is trained to perform a task, and given the proximity of the officer to the offender, I struggle to see how a 'stray bullet' should have hit any bystanders. If that was even a threat, the officers should have been firing from a different direction to avoid an incident like this. Unfortunately its one of those things where we don't know all the details and probably mistakes were made and shots shouldn't have been fired so close to the other victims, but at the time they did what felt right in the interests of other citizens and capturing the offender. I just wish the person that was dead, if anyone had to die, was the offender (even though everyone would probably kick up a big fuss about that if it happened, as they have done before). DH's parting words on the matter was that the AOS isn't that highly trained and only train to shot to kill at 20 metres, the CTAG (arm of the SAS that does urban stuff in Auckland) would have had no issues.
|
Posted By: Danaj
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 2:36pm
|
This about the offender from his lawyer from the Heralds recent update:
"I don't know how long he has been using methamphetamine. He is suffering both emotionally and physically." ooohhhhhh, Poor him, really??? He's suffering emotionally?? Someone get the poor wittle man a violin...... ------------- http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wyI1oWn/">
|
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 2:50pm
| I also heard that their defence started with saying he can't remember anything that happened on Friday. I'm sorry but being drugged up is not an excuse, I think you should get an even harsher punishment for being stupid enough to do drugs like that in the first place. The world is full of idiots and this is just another one that has wrecked the lives of many innocent people. |
Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 3:05pm
| I can't see how after looking at that photo it could have been considered a good shot, not with the van sitting right behind the offender. Terrible tragedy. |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 3:55pm
|
I agree with those who said about the flippen idiot who went on a drug fueled speeding trip through town with a gun should be the one to be angry at! He put everyone in danger i guess it was luck that more people were not hurt imagine the mess he could have made. "he is suffering" oh please! what a load of crap im sure he/lawyer will say anything at the moment!
Anyway the poor AOS guy who made the shot i feel for him and his family i did hear on the news this morning that it was a clear shot but then the driver of the truck slammed on his breaks to try get the idiot who was pointing the gun at him off his flat deck and thats when things turned wrong. I also feel for the boys family it must be very hard for them i hope they get the support they need. Having been to a few AOS call outs its not a nice situation to be in you have no idea what is going to happen and it all changes so quickly. |
Posted By: Lanata
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 7:04pm
|
Poor Halatau just happened to be in the same line as the stupid 50 year old (get a life!!) that he got shot. So sad fo his DF and to think their wedding date will come soon and she be a wreck all over again..
All that pain he caused because he snatched a bag and wanted to get away from the police. What a total loser!! ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: Danaj
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:03pm
|
And now we get to listen to his lawyer prepare his defense publicly about not being able to remember due to drug addiction. I'm sure we'll here all about the abuse he suffered as a child blah blah blah and he'll be referred for assesment to see if he's fit for trial blah blah blah..... ------------- http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wyI1oWn/">
|
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 8:07pm
your'e right. *yawn * -------------
|
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 9:16pm
| yup stupid lawyer - although as long as hes getting paid..... I often wonder how the lawyers sleep knowing they are defending scum! |
Posted By: minik8e
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 9:52pm
|
Just in defence of the lawyer - a lawyer's job is to make the best of the information they are given to present to the Court to get the best possible outcome for their client. They aren't allowed to refuse a case, unless there are specific circumstances in place. It can, sometimes, be possible to "seperate" your feelings from the job you're doing, but it takes a very skilled person to do so. Those people make very good criminal defence lawyers.
The whole "he was unaware cos he was on P" really gets up my nose however. Who gives a rats, he CHOSE to do P, he wasn't forced into it, so he needs to take responsibility for his actions which were a direct consequence of his own choice. |
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 26 January 2009 at 10:35pm
|
I for one couldn't be a lawyer.
The lawyer for the guy that killed my friend (the guy drove through a crowd of people hitting 3 , then coming back and driving through again, hitting a girl that was giving CPR to one of the injured ) we later found out his (the lawyer's) daughter had been killed 8 years earlier by a drunk driver, my friends murder case (the driver was found guilty of 2 counts of murder) must have been pretty hard for him. But still, im sick of hearing excuses for why people did things all the time . (lawyer aside, I just mean the man responsible for the tragedy ) edited cos I wasnt making sense -------------
|
Posted By: Danaj
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 7:44am
|
I know the case you're talking about. That was horrid and I think most of the country was in shock about that one chick. Sorry to hear it was a friend of yours.
And in regards to the lawyer thing, everyone does deserve a decent defense otherwise innocent people would go to jail BUT......I just couldn't live with myself making up this persons defense knowing that his actions caused the death of a young father. This is going to be a very very sad case and regardless of the verdict, everyone has already lost. ------------- http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wyI1oWn/">
|
Posted By: RunningT
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 9:47am
|
Shannon: How does this lawyer sleep knowing he is defending scum??
Probably after drinking expensive wine, in his expensive bed in his really big house.
Even fairly incompetent lawyers that primarily do legal aid work at the Manukau Court earn almost $100k. Oh dear I have jumped on my soap box.....I know that everyone is entitled to legal representation however this is a subject that makes my blood boil!!!!!!!! The sooner a system of 'public defenders' is introduced the better. Legal aid is such a gravy train. Rant over... I promise  ------------- 
|
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 9:49am
|
thanks Dana, for the record,I didn't know the chick that got hurt, my friend was the guy that got killed the first time jerkface drove through the crowd ,before the moron came back and did it again ,killing the girl .It was Oct 06 , in Pakuranga/Highland park
As for the lawyer thing in this case, me neither, no matter what the rules are, I couldn't defend someone whos actions had caused this type of pain . You have to hope the lawyers can seperate themselves from it , cos its scary to think some might actually agree with what they are saying -------------
|
Posted By: my4beauties
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 10:50am
|
My DH heard a version of how Halatau was shot, and short story, he looks like he drove beside the truck in the line of fire. But if that was the case - why were there still motorists driving past the carnage? Shouldn't there have been a road block or someone waving hands for motorists to stop? I know it would've all happened pretty quickly - maybe too quickly for other motorists to slow and get out of the way. ------------- My babies: R (9),G (7), J (5) http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: McPloppy
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 12:31pm
|
I am realy feeling for the family of Halatau and for the officer who pulled the trigger.
The way i see it is that if he had hesitated and not pulled the trigger there and then the driver of the truck may have died but as he pulled the trigger when he did it was someone else. This was an absolute tragedy and the only person to blame is the offender and it is a shame IMO he cannot be charged with muder. In regards to the offender wanting some slack as he was drugged up, that is no defence. Drunk driver know what will happen if they drive drunk and are charged without slack and i am sure this was not the first time he had done drugs so would know how he was under the influence...waht a numb nuts! I am sure the officer is going through hell right now and i know it is a cops worst nightmare. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 27 January 2009 at 2:36pm
|
wow, bit of a vent coming up here (on the same topic tho ! )
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions etc, but sometimes im really stumped at some members of the public, and the quite frankly, idiotic things they say . I am referring to t todays paper and 2 letters (both from women ) who write criticising Halatau's bereaved family for blaming the police member who shot their son . Yes perhaps they are blaming the wrong person , the guilty party is the man who started it all , but oh, my , effing GOD . Give them a break , its ,what , 4 days? since their son/fiance/brother was killed , at the moment their thoughts are going to be all over the place , and yet these two women put that aside so they can publicly berate them . I find it interesting , (and it angers me ) how quickly people can judge, especially people in mourning , the two letter writers should remember the old saying "there but for the grace of God , go I " Fridays tragic conclusion , could really have been ANYONE on that motorway , I bet they would have been reacting a lot differently if it was someone they loved who got killed. Ok, rant over, and sorry if it offended anyone. -------------
|