Police are hunting a man seen leaving Myers Park in central Auckland immediately after a homeless man was fatally attacked last night.
The victim has now been identified by police as 54-year-old Steven Harris. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but later died as a result of his wounds.
Mr Harris is believed to have had no fixed address but had been living in the Epsom area for the last month.
Police are asking for any witnesses to the assault, which occurred between 11:20 and 11:30 Wednesday night, to come forward.
At a news conference this morning, Acting Detective Inspector John Sutton said police want to speak to three Asian people – two men and a woman - who are believed to have seen the attack.
"At the moment we're speaking to several people who were in the park. We're very, very interested in 3 people in particular who were in there and may have witnessed the attack."
Police will not comment on the cause of death but say the man received a wound to the torso. A post mortem is being carried out today, to determine how he died and if any weapon was used.
Officers are looking through CCTV footage of the park to try and identify exactly what happened.
They say a suspect described as short, possibly male, of medium build, was observed running away from the scene towards Karangahape Rd around 11:30pm. They were wearing a white hat, cream top and dark-coloured jeans.
Police investigating his death are still examining the scene where he was attacked but anticipate reopening most of the park to the public early this evening.
Anyone who may have been in the area and witnessed the assault is urged to call Auckland City Police on 09-302-6516, or Crime Stoppers on 0800-555-111.
3 News
source: newshub archive
