Sister of man killed in gang-related Bay of Plenty shooting pays tribute to him online

February 13, 2020

Two men were gunned down on Tuesday night near Tauranga.

The sister of a man killed in a gang-related double shooting in the Bay of Plenty has paid tribute to her brother online.

Two men were gunned down on Tuesday night at an address near McLaren Falls just south of Tauranga.

In a social media post, the sister of the 32-year-old victim says "I’ll love you forever" and thanks others for their support.

The two bodies were removed from the scene last night and police are still hunting for the killer.

Yesterday, Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell pleaded for more police amid a rise in gang tensions, and today, his request appears to have been answered.

"We know tensions between gangs have caused fears for safety to arise, however we would like to reassure people that general members of the public are not the focus of those tensions," Clifford Paxton, Western Bay of Plenty area commander said in a statement.

"That being said, gang violence in our community is not acceptable and will not be tolerated."

There will be an increased police presence in the area, he said.

Gangs expert Jarrod Gilbert believes the crime wave is linked to new gangs, which includes deportees from Australia known as the 501S, as well as US imports the Mongols.

"So what we're seeing is really growing pains within the gang scene and we haven't seen that in a long time," he told 1 NEWS yesterday.

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