Man, 23, charged with murder of Australian tourist in campervan in Raglan

August 17, 2019

Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said a man has been charged in relation to the shooting.

A 23-year-old man has been charged in relation to the death of an Australian tourist who was fatally shot inside a rented campervan in Raglan, north of Hamilton, yesterday.

Police also confirmed this morning the identity of the victim as Sean McKinnon, 33, from Australia.

Sean McKinnon's grief-stricken family finding solace in support from the public as they mourn a brother and son.

McKinnon and his Canadian fiancée were sleeping in a campervan in a carpark at Te Toto Gorge in Raglan early yesterday morning when a man woke them up wanting the keys, police said.

He was then shot "more than once", with his fiancée managing to flee to a nearby address where she called police.

Tourists in the area say it could have been them targeted in the random attack and they'll be more cautious.

The man was arrested after police carried out a search warrant at a rural local address at around 11pm last night, Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley told media today.

No one else is being sought in relation to the shooting. A postmortem will be carried out later today.

The scene is currently under guard, where it will be forensically examined as police continue to search for the murder weapon.

"At this stage, we are still searching for the weapon, but we have a number of addresses to be searched that are being guarded," he said.

His partner fled for her life and survived, police said.

The man will appear in Hamilton District Court later this morning charged with murder, aggravated robbery, and threatening to kill, Mr Pitkethley said in a statement.

Police have spoken to McKinnon's family and fiancée, and they are providing support.

Police also thanked members of the public for their help.

"This has shocked and touched people in the community and the inquiry team as well," he said. "It is a random, violent attack that has occurred and so yes, people are shocked.

"I would just like to reassure the community the dedication of the community and the police working together to be able to hold this offender to account in such a quick time."

The homicide inquiry will continue today, he said.

"There is a number of work that will still being undertaken in and around the Waikato district as we work to reconstruct the full events of this tragic event," Mr Pitkethley said.

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