After a 4 years battle by the family of a victim, Halatau Naitoko for compensation over his death, the matter is now set to be unfolded in a New Zealand High Court.
According to a Police record released to media in 2012, “A member of the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) shot and killed Mr Naitoko on Friday 23 January 2009, as he was driving on the North Western Motorway.”
The police officer who shot Halatau was only known as Officer 84 and the killing occurred in a shootout between the police and a man they were chasing.
Halatau Naitoko’s mother, Ivoni Fuimaono-Teputepu, told Radio New Zealand, “My son is priceless I mean his life is priceless so I cannot put a figure on my son’s life.
She said that the decision for her to take the matter to court was, “ according to the advice that we have been given.”
Fuimaono said, “ Our business (was) going into liquidation also you know emotionally there have been many other things we have gone through since Halatau died.”
The family’s lawyer is Colin Pidgeon QC and he “has been working for the family through legal aid. He said they were advised to seek a settlement figure of $1million by Dr Paul Rishworth, an expert on the Bill of Rights,” according to the nzherald report.
