Alleged gunman who caused death of innocent man pleads amnesia

New Zealand MapWellington - A man alleged to have sparked a high-speed chase that ended in police shooting dead an innocent bystander had no recollection of the events, his lawyer told a court Monday.

Stephen Hohepa McDonald, 50, faced 29 charges, including 10 counts of using a firearm against police law on Friday and unlawfully possessing a gun when he appeared in the Auckland District Court.

Halatau Naitoko, 17, a courier driver, was fatally wounded by police Friday in a shoot-out with a gunman who tried to hijack his van after crashing a stolen car following a
40-minute chase through Auckland suburbs at up to 160 kilometres an hour.

Police said on Saturday that a post-mortem established that the fatal shot came from a police firearm.

McDonald's lawyer, Roger Chambers, told the court that his client had no recollection of the last five to six days and was extremely remorseful when he learnt a person had been killed, Radio New Zealand reported.

McDonald was remanded in custody until February 5. (dpa)

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