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ISSUE
Friday, August 14, 2026
Volume 17 . Issue 32
The man who was fatally shot by police outside Auckland’s Sylvia Park shopping centre has been identified as 33-year-old Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene, a father of five.
The man was serving community detention and supervision, RNZ can reveal.
Otene died on Thursday afternoon following a police pursuit that ended near the shopping centre.
Stuff reported that Otene had five children with his partner of 17 years. He was also reportedly the second eldest of nine siblings.
His family told Stuff they were “navigating through this profound loss and are struggling to process everything”.
Superintendent Sunny Patel said police were supporting staff involved in the incident as well as Otene’s family.
“We are supporting our staff that responded to yesterday’s events. This was a very fast-moving event, and our thoughts are with everyone involved."
Patel confirmed Otene’s next of kin had been notified.
“We visited the family last night and we extend our condolences to them, and support will be made available to them as part of the investigation.”
A critical incident investigation is underway following the fatal shooting at Sylvia Park on Thursday afternoon.
Police completed a scene examination at the shopping centre overnight, while a post-mortem examination is underway today.
“As part of completing the scene examination, Ngāti Paoa led a blessing at the scene last night,” Superintendent Sunny Patel said.
“I understand the events that unfolded have shaken people that were there at the time, and the wider community. There will be an increased police presence around Sylvia Park Shopping Centre over the coming week to provide reassurance for the public.”
Investigators will continue working to establish Otene’s movements and what led to the events that ended with him being shot by police.
This will include reviewing a large amount of CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming weeks.
Police said further details would be released once the post-mortem and formal identification procedures were complete.
The investigation will include the critical incident inquiry, alongside a separate investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Kiwi Property, which owns and manages Sylvia Park, said the shopping centre was open as usual on Friday.
"Sylvia Park shopping centre is open and operating as usual today," a Kiwi Property spokesperson told the Herald. "Police are on site at Sylvia Park. However, the cordons have been lifted.
"We’d like to thank New Zealand Police for their professionalism and support, local iwi for blessing the site overnight, and our retailers for their co-operation yesterday and the care they showed their teams and customers during a difficult situation."
The man who was fatally shot by police outside Auckland’s Sylvia Park shopping centre has been identified as 33-year-old Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene, a father of five.
The man was serving community detention and supervision, RNZ can reveal.Otene died on Thursday afternoon following a police pursuit...
The man who was fatally shot by police outside Auckland’s Sylvia Park shopping centre has been identified as 33-year-old Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene, a father of five.
The man was serving community detention and supervision, RNZ can reveal.
Otene died on Thursday afternoon following a police pursuit that ended near the shopping centre.
Stuff reported that Otene had five children with his partner of 17 years. He was also reportedly the second eldest of nine siblings.
His family told Stuff they were “navigating through this profound loss and are struggling to process everything”.
Superintendent Sunny Patel said police were supporting staff involved in the incident as well as Otene’s family.
“We are supporting our staff that responded to yesterday’s events. This was a very fast-moving event, and our thoughts are with everyone involved."
Patel confirmed Otene’s next of kin had been notified.
“We visited the family last night and we extend our condolences to them, and support will be made available to them as part of the investigation.”
A critical incident investigation is underway following the fatal shooting at Sylvia Park on Thursday afternoon.
Police completed a scene examination at the shopping centre overnight, while a post-mortem examination is underway today.
“As part of completing the scene examination, Ngāti Paoa led a blessing at the scene last night,” Superintendent Sunny Patel said.
“I understand the events that unfolded have shaken people that were there at the time, and the wider community. There will be an increased police presence around Sylvia Park Shopping Centre over the coming week to provide reassurance for the public.”
Investigators will continue working to establish Otene’s movements and what led to the events that ended with him being shot by police.
This will include reviewing a large amount of CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming weeks.
Police said further details would be released once the post-mortem and formal identification procedures were complete.
The investigation will include the critical incident inquiry, alongside a separate investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Kiwi Property, which owns and manages Sylvia Park, said the shopping centre was open as usual on Friday.
"Sylvia Park shopping centre is open and operating as usual today," a Kiwi Property spokesperson told the Herald. "Police are on site at Sylvia Park. However, the cordons have been lifted.
"We’d like to thank New Zealand Police for their professionalism and support, local iwi for blessing the site overnight, and our retailers for their co-operation yesterday and the care they showed their teams and customers during a difficult situation."
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