Tragic: Surfer Murdered In The Raglan Carpark
Aussie surfer, Sean McKinnon, shot and killed while surf tripping through New Zealand.
Tragically, an Australian surfer has been shot and killed in an attempted carjacking in a carpark in New Zealand.
Sean McKinnon, a 33-year-old from Warrnambool, Victoria, was traveling with his Canadian fiancé and camping at the iconic left-hand pointbreak Raglan. Posted up at the Te Toto Gorge track carpark near the water, police believe that at approximately 3:30am Friday (local time) a man woke the couple, attempted to take their keys and shot McKinnon. His fiancé reportedly managed to escape and call the authorities from a nearby home.
The police located McKinnon’s body approximately 80km away in the town of Hamilton. The gunman remains at large.
Described as a “lovable, knockabout Aussie guy” who charged when the swell was up, McKinnon’s death comes as a huge shock.
“Talented musician, genuine, gentle man with a heart of gold,” remembered friend Wayne Such.
McKinnon’s murder comes amidst a global conversation about guns in our society. The United States continues to be plagued by extreme gun violence with what feels like a new mass shooting on a weekly basis.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s government has taken drastic action after a gunman killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch back in March. Almost immediately they pushed through legislation to ban military-style semi-automatic weapons. They also funded a program to buy back the guns that had been made illegal. The legislation overwhelmingly passed with a 119 to 1 vote.
Our thoughts go out to McKinnon's loved ones.
Update: After initial news of the incident broke, a massive manhunt led police through the Waikato area a 23-year-old male has now been arrested. He has been charged with murder, aggravated robbery and making threats to kill.
