SHOOTING FATALITY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 19, 30 October 1945, Page 5

SHOOTING FATALITY

TARAWERA TRAGEDY RECALLED . ACCIDENTAL VERDICT RETURNED The inquest into the deaith of Kingita Patikura # the victim of a shooting accident at Tarawera recently was completed las<t Sat. urday before Mr C. S. ArmDistrict Coroner. The verdict was; that Kingita Pati„ kusra died on August at Tarawera from gunshot wounds, as the result of the accidental dis. charge of a .303 rifle.

Constable. Thom said that on the evening of August 5, he accompanied Sergeant Farrell to as the result of a telephone which stated that a Maori named Kingita Patikura had been accident, ally shot whilst out pig hunting. The fatality happened some miles off the road leading to Fenlon's Mill ,111 the scrub and fern covere(L~country. The only injuries to the body appeared to be a wound on the right upper arm just !>elow the and another on the left cheek. The wounds could -have been caused by a rifle bullet. The rifle that caused the death of deceased was liis own property, and at the time of the happening, wai being carried by Edward Francis Elvers. The body was later brought in for medical examination.

Dr. A. W. Fletcher Cole, saic that on August he examined the body in question at Kawerau Pah. There were injuries that would have caused death within a few minutes. He considered that death was direct, ly attributable to a gunshot Avound Edward Francis Eivers, a student aged 17 years, residing with his parents at Te Te'ko, said that on A*ug. list 5, he was out pig hunting with lis father and two Maoris j Jackie Awamate and KTtigita Patikura. They were hunting in the vicinity jf Buddie's Creek } Tarawera. During the day his father left the oarty in order to bring the motor ;ruclt to meet them. About mid-day rVitness and the two Maoris caught i pig. They cleaned it, cut it in aalf and. the two Maoris taking half :ach prepared to carry it out. Witless was given the two rifles to ?arry, one belonging to Patikura, ind the other to his father } which Vwamate had been carrying. Both issured him that there was nothing n the breech of either. The .vhich were the only, two in the party, were, both of calibre, ind he carried them slung across his jack, with the barrels pointing over lis left shoulder. They had travel, ed a couple of miles when he icard the dogs barking. Witness, ,vho was* a short distance ahead, sat lown on the ground. Patikura sat lown on his left, and a little to ;he rear. Awamate went up the lill behind them in an endeavour :o locate the dogs. This was at approximately 3 p.m. Witness and Patikura had been sitting down for several when witness heard ;hc report of a'rifle. Patikura made i choking noise and fell back. Witless knew, lie had been hit and he called to Awamate who returned, ind together they opened the sreeches of the rifles. There was no cartridge in. the breech of that be. onging to his father, but there was in empty shell in that of Patikura. Witness' was sure that the .safety ;atch on Patikura's rifle was applied it the time. He could not tell for sure whether it was cockefcl or not, )ut he did not think so. He thought ;toat in the positions he and Patiiura were occupying, the. muzzles )f the rifles would be pointing towards the latter. W T hen lie heard :he report, he did not remember 'eeling any movement of the rifles >n his back. He was not touching ;hem at the time.

Jackie Awamate, a'MaorP aged 16

years living at Onepu, gave corroborative evidence adding that when Elvers had endeavoured to open the breech of Pati'kura's rifle after the shot had been fired, he had noted that the safety catch was still applied. After Patikura had shot the pig he must have put another cartridge into the. breech. A report from the Arms Bureau of the Police Department, Welling, ton, showed that the cartridge was fired while the.rifle was uncocked, by a blow on the rear end of the bolt in which case the safety catch being applied would make no difference. whatsoever. 1 A verdict was returned as neve.