Ponsonby Rd shooter was son of celebrated filmmaker Don Selwyn

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Wed, 8 May 2024, 2:59PM

The Ponsonby Rd gunman who killed someone on Sunday evening was the son of celebrated Kiwi filmmaker Don Selwyn, the Herald understands.

Police named the gunman as Hone Kay-Selwyn yesterday. He was found dead near Taupō later on Tuesday. The man he killed was named as Robert Sidney Horne, 33, by family today.

A family member told the Herald they had “no comment to make, none at all”.

A woman who knew Kay-Selwyn told Stuff he was “quiet and polite” as a child.

Don Selwyn (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri) was honoured with the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1999. He was a leading proponent of Māori performing and television drama.

Selwyn produced The Māori Merchant of Venice, Greenstone and The Feathers of Peace. He also acted in Sleeping Dogs, Goodbye Pork Pie, Came A Hot Friday and The Lost Tribe.

He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust. He died in 2007.

Detective Inspector Chris Barry told media an associate of Kay-Selwyn found him dead in a Broadlands property near Taupō as police were on their way to speak to him.

His death is being treated as unexplained, Barry said.

The property is 7km from Taupō and multiple police cars have been at the property since early this morning.

At about 11am, a convoy of high-end vehicles arrived at the address with dozens of people inside.

Hone Kay-Selwyn was found dead this morning.

Hone Kay-Selwyn.

Some of the occupants of the vehicles were spoken to by police upon arrival.

A neighbour heard police sirens at the address this morning about 5am.

Police put out a warrant to arrest Kay-Selwyn for unlawful possession of a firearm yesterday after Horne was shot dead on Ponsonby Rd at 10.15pm on Sunday night.

Horne was a hard-working drainlayer with a big heart, a colleague said.

Hone Kay-Selwyn (inset) was wanted by police in connection with the fatal shooting on Ponsonby Road but was found dead at a rural property near Taupō on Wednesday. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Horne had been with a group of people at the time of the shooting outside the bar on Ponsonby Rd.

Barry said there was no relationship between Kay-Selwyn, who was a member of the Killer Beez gang, and the victim and his associates.

The victim and his associates, to the best of police’s knowledge, had no association with any criminal group, Barry said.

“We are supporting the victim’s family who are understandably devastated.”

Partner’s remorse

As police hunted for Kay-Selwyn, a woman claiming to be his partner expressed her remorse over the incident.

The woman reflected on the fatal shooting on social media.

“My inbox is overflowing with messages concerning Hone’s [alleged] actions [on Sunday] night in Ponsonby,” the woman said.

“I want to express my sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim. I’m deeply sorry and feel a great sense of shame about the situation.

“I’m still grappling with the fact that Hone [allegedly] took someone’s life.”

Her social media post has since been deleted.

The gunman’s prior charges

Kay-Selwyn had been in court in the past. He first appeared in the Waitākere District Court in May 2020 on a charge of assault with intent to injure.

In June 2020, he appeared again after breaching bail, and in December 2020, he appeared in the Waitākere District Court once more for breaching community detention conditions.

It remained unclear what resulted from these charges. A police spokesman told the Herald to approach the court for further information on historical matters. He confirmed Kay-Selwyn was not on bail at the time of Sunday’s homicide.

This article was originally published on the NZ Herald here.