Live: Police release image of suspect in Auckland bus killing
Police have provided an update this morning on the investigation into a fatal stabbing on a bus in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga yesterday - confirming the victim was a woman unkown to the attacker
Acting Detective Inspector Alisse Robertson spoke from Auckland central police station in Freemans Bay at 10:30am.
Robertson released pictures of the man they are looking for in relation to the attack who’s name is Kael Austin Leona.
The bus passenger, understood to be a woman, died after being stabbed in Onehunga around 2.30pm yesterday.
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward councillor Josephine Bartley told the Herald this morning that the police hunt for the offender is ongoing.
Armed police descended on Moana Ave in Onehunga last night, not far from the scene of the bus stabbing.
They cordoned off both sides of a house, with detectives seen entering the driveway of a home and questioning neighbours.
Police would not confirm this morning if the two incidents were related.
Bartley said police had a suspect they were searching for.
Person dies after assault on Auckland bus; police hunt for offender Ryan Bridge: Why would you want to be a bus driver?“I think ultimately the best reassurance our communities can get is that the police catch this person as soon as possible.”
She said Superintendent Scott Gemmel told her this morning police have “strong leads”.
“They will update me as soon as they find this person.”
She said Auckland Transport had given footage of the attack to police.
A "large number" of police descended on Moana Ave, Onehunga. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Emergency services, including Hato Hone St John, responded to the Church St, Onehunga, stabbing about 2.30pm yesterday.
The Herald understands the victim suffered multiple stab wounds.
A police spokesperson said one person was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being “seriously injured in an assault onboard a bus”.
Shortly before 6pm, police confirmed the person had died. They said the victim was a passenger on the bus.
A person was fatally stabbed in an assault on a bus on Church St in Onehunga. Photo / Hayden Woodward
“Police are making urgent inquiries to locate the offender who has been identified through CCTV footage.”
Speaking from the scene, police inspector Danny Meade told the Herald one person had fled after the stabbing.
“We’re working incredibly hard to try to locate this offender; somewhere in the local area, we think.”
Armed police search a property on Victoria St, Onehunga, after a stabbing on a bus nearby. Photo / Hayden Woodward
Police Minister Mark Mitchell took to social media last night, calling the incident a “senseless homicide”.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim ... on a bus today in Auckland,” Mitchell said.
“Police continue to urgently search for the offender who they have identified. This gratuitous violence has no place in our communities.”
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim of the senseless homicide on a bus today in Auckland. Police continue to urgently search for the offender who they have identified. This gratuitous violence has no place in our communities.
— Mark Mitchell (@MarkMitchellMP) October 23, 2024Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.
