Ponsonby shooting: Police investigating whether revolver found in Lake Taupo was murder weapon

Police are questioning whether one of two illegal guns found in Lake Taupo is the murder weapon used in the shooting on Ponsonby Rd ​​last month. Firearms, a type popular with gangs
limbs, were discovered near where the shooter was found dead.

Killer Beez gang member Hone Kay-Selwyn shot dead Robert Horne outside a bar in the affluent Auckland suburb in May before fleeing amid a massive manhunt.

The 31-year-old was found dead in his car on a rural property outside Taupo two days later.

At the time of the shooting, police did not recover any firearms. But the Weekend Herald can now reveal an off-duty police officer later found two cut-off Alfa Carbine pistols in Lake Taupo.

Alfa Carbine rifles have become popular with criminals because they can be easily transformed into handguns, easier to conceal and wield, and have been used in a number of gang shootings.

In recent years, police investigating the gun black market have discovered dozens of licensed gun owners who have purchased Alfa rifles on behalf of associates who cannot legally purchase them.

This tactic is known as “straw buying,” or retail diversion, which police say is now the most common way for guns to end up in criminal hands.

THE Herald also obtained a photograph showing Kay-Selwyn holding a large wad of cash in one hand and an Alfa Carbine pistol in the other.

Alfa rifles are also popular with criminals because they do not eject shell casings when fired, leaving behind less evidence to link the firearm to a shooting.

No shell chases were found at the scene of the Ponsonby Rd ​​shooting, police have confirmed. Detective Inspector Chris Barry, the investigating officer, also confirmed the pair of weapons found in Lake Taupō were scaled-down Alfa Carbine rifles.

“Investigations are ongoing to determine whether or not these firearms are related to the Ponsonby homicide investigation last month,” Barry said.

“Forensic testing is underway in this regard, as well as to confirm the caliber of ammunition involved in the shooting.”

Police will not comment on how Kay-Selwyn died due to an ongoing coronial investigation, but say his death is not suspicious. The coroner will also not comment. It is understood Kay-Selwyn did not suffer a gunshot wound.

News of a link between the Ponsonby Rd ​​shooting and Alfa Carbine firearms is the latest in a series of investigations involving this particular weapon.

Police investigating New Zealand's gun black market have arrested dozens of licensed gun owners in recent years who bought Alfa rifles on behalf of associates who cannot legally purchase them.

Recently, the Firearms Investigation Team (FIT) analyzed more than 350,000 sales records over a four-year period, looking for unusual purchases indicative of potential retail diversion.

A suspicious pattern of spending by two licensees over three months led to an undercover investigation dubbed Operation Birch.

Between June and September 2022, a 75-year-old Auckland man and his daughter purchased 13 firearms and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from two Gun City stores.

In total, the two men paid more than $21,000 in cash.

But police say the father and daughter acted as “straw buyers” on behalf of two young parents with links to the Comancheros motorcycle gang.

Eleven of the 13 firearms were Alfa rifle models. Police have since recovered two, shrunk to the size of a pistol, in possession of a patched Comanchero and a prospect of the gang.

Last year, former Hells Angel and drug dealer Kishor Chandra Singh admitted to paying licensed gun owners to buy 21 Alfa Carbine rifles which he then cut into revolver pistols.

Intercepted telephone communications in 2022 revealed that some of the guns coming from Napier were destined for Auckland, where there was an increase in gang-related shootings that year.

No coherent explanation has emerged as to why Kay-Selwyn, 31, and immersed in gangs for more than half his life, opened fire on Ponsonby Rd ​​late on Sunday (May 5).

He was carrying at least one gun in the bag slung across his chest when he attempted to enter Chapel Bar around 10 p.m. Even though the bar didn't close for another hour, the bouncers refused him entry because he seemed really disturbed.

“He had glassy eyes, and the way he communicated… it was like he wasn't all there,” Claudius Ah-Loe, managing director of Intercede Corporate Services, whose security guards were at the door.

“They said 'sorry mate, you can't come in, the bar's going to close soon'.”

Kay-Selwyn then said to the bouncers “are you okay?” » before heading back down the road, putting his hand in his bag and asking again if they were all okay.

He continued on his way then stopped about 100 m from the road, near an alley where he waited for a few minutes, talking on the phone and constantly looking around.

After about 10 minutes, a group of men, including Horne, walked by. Ah-Loe said he and his team knew the four men well because they regularly saw and dealt with them at the Ponsonby Hotel, another bar down the street.

“They passed by there (…) they were stopped by the shooter and they were exchanging words.”

Kay-Selwyn then pulled out her gun and fired once, missing everyone. The second bullet hit Horne in the head. He fired four or five more shots, but they too missed, the bullets crashing into the store awnings.

A security guard removed his sweater and placed it under Horne's head as a pillow, then performed CPR before police and paramedics arrived. Horne could not be revived and died instantly.

Police said they had no evidence of previous links between the two men.

Ah-Loe said he and his team were unsure whether Kay-Selwyn was aiming at the men or just shooting wildly. He appeared to be aiming a few shots in the direction of Chapel Bar.

“It happened so quickly that we don’t know if he really had a grudge against Rob.”

Ah-Loe, who rushed to the scene shortly after the shooting, paid tribute to Horne.

“Rob was the funniest. He was just full of life.

A longtime friend of Horne, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald he was a “very nice guy” and loved by everyone.

He said Horne had a partner and planned to have children.

“He had such a big heart,” the man said.

He said Horne was an avid drainer and loved the outdoors, including hunting, camping and hiking.

As police searched for Kay-Selwyn, a woman claiming to be his partner took to Facebook to reflect on the incident.

“My inbox is full of messages regarding Hone's actions [on Sunday] night in Ponsonby,” the woman said.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim. I am deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about this situation.

“I’m still dealing with the fact that Hone took someone’s life.”

Georges Bloc is an Auckland-based journalist focusing on police, courts, prisons and defence. He joined the Herald in 2022 and previously worked at Stuff in Auckland and the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin.

Jared Savage is an award-winning journalist who covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organized crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and is the author of Gangland and Gangster's Paradise..