A man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in central Auckland and found to be a gang member has been found dead near Taupō.
Police were looking for 31-year-old Hone Kay-Selwyn, who they say shot dead one person on Ponsonby Road on Sunday evening.
The shooting victim, who was with a group of people at the time of the shooting, was found dead by police when they arrived on the scene, outside a bar.
Police say several shots were fired by another man who had previously been denied entry to the bar.
The reason for the shooting is not yet clear, police said.
On Wednesday morning, a source confirmed the discovery of the body to RNZ.
It was not known how Kay-Selwyn died.
The man wanted by police in connection with the Ponsonby murder investigation has been found deceased.
Detective Inspector Chris Barry said homicide detectives traveled to the Taupō region on Tuesday afternoon to find the wanted man.
“While en route, police received a report of a man who had been found deceased at a rural address in the Broadlands area.”
The death was being treated as unexplained, he said.
He was found on Tuesday by an employee. Police also confirmed that the suspect was a member of the Killer Beez gang.
“Although the post-mortem examination is yet to be completed, the deceased is believed to be the man wanted by police in connection with the murder investigation.”
Police did not believe there was any relationship between the Ponsonby shooting victim and the suspect, nor did they believe the victim and his associates had links to a criminal group that night.
Auckland City CIB will work with CIB colleagues from Bay of Plenty as part of the investigation.
Barry said the murder investigation was still ongoing, but they were not looking for anyone else in connection with it.
'Our investigation team will continue to gather the information received to date and we will continue to investigate on behalf of the coroner.
“The police have informed the victim's family of these developments and we have been in contact with the family of the wanted man.”
The police thanked the public for the information received about the identity of the wanted man.
The identity of the Ponsonby shooting victim had yet to be released by police but was expected later today.
A woman, who said she was Kay-Selwyn's partner, had expressed remorse for his actions.
In a now-deleted Facebook post earlier this week, she said her inbox was 'full' with messages about her partner's actions on Sunday night in Ponsonby.
“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the victim's family and loved ones. I am deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about the situation.”
She said she “struggled” with the fact that he had taken someone's life.
When contacted by RNZ, the woman declined to comment further.
Police would not comment directly on the social media post or confirm whether they had spoken to the woman.