Police hunting the robbers who shot dead a shopkeeper in cold blood say people in the local community know the identity of killers, but aren't co-operating.
Investigators on Wednesday raided several houses near the crime scene and interviewed at least 10 people.
Navjet Singh, 30, was shot in the chest during the robbery on Saturday and died on Monday in hospital.
On Wednesday morning police blocked off Manurewa's Trindon Street after earlier reporting they were closing in on the killers. They made a number of raids and took away several people.
These raids came after police said on Tuesday they were certain the killers had some link to the four main streets around the place where the shooting happened.
The homes that were raided were just a block away from where Singh was killed.
Police say by now, some people in the area will know who the robbers are and maybe even shared in the spoils of their crime.
"They will be their neighbours, people they speak to, acknowledge on the streets. These four have killed an innocent man for a few bottles of booze," said Detective Inspector Jim Gallagher of Counties-Manukau Police.
He appealed to anyone who knows the killers to make themselves known to the police.
Twenty five detectives are working on the case.
Three houses in the area got an early morning wake up call after police used a loud speaker telling neighbours to stay indoors.
"Stranger" Tuaneiti said at least nine police raided his home and he and his friends were taken in for questioning, but later released.
"They banged on the door, like very loud, yelling too & they interviewed me asked me about all my boys and I think they was trying to get me to say a name of who might have done it but I don't' know, they was trying to get me to blame my boys, but nah," says Tuaneiti.
Tuaneiti said he was part of a gang called Life Time Crips (LTC) and that his gang are linked to Black Power, but they know nothing about who killed the liquor store owner.
"I know for a fact it's none of our boys, but whoever is going around saying it's the LTC their accusations are wrong, they're trying to frame us," said Tuaneiti.
Neighbours say the house is known for trouble.
"Yeah I'd say there was, but if you mix kids and alcohol and that's what you kinda get Alana Williams, a neighbour.
On Wednesday afternoon the SPCA took several dogs from one of the properties and forensics gathered samples from cars parked in the drive.
But Tuaneiti doubts they will find anything, because he believes
the police have no evidence on them.
But police say someone in the community knows something and until
they come forward they're allowing the killers to remain on the
streets.
There had earlier been criticism by locals of the police action on the night of the robbery with a long delay in letting ambulance officers in to help the wounded shopkeeper.
Community members met with police to discuss their concerns but did not get the answers they wanted.
"We were a bit disappointed. We were expecting information about the response period and also the steps they taking to get the offenders but we haven't got that," said Manpreet Singh of the New Zealand Sikh Society.
Manurewa MP George Hawkins is disappointed there will not be an investigation into the police response.
Hawkins, a former Police Minister, says if police think they have done everything right, there would be no harm in reviewing their handling of the incident.
He is laying the blame for this incident firmly at the feet of police bosses in the troubled area.
"It's a young police force in south Auckland, do a very good job. I think some of the problems lie in the way things are organised and managed," says Hawkins.
The criticism has found no favour with police top brass.
"I think that's an unfair take. We've undertaken a whole range of initiatives particularly in south Auckland that show we are trying to address policing in the modern age," says Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope of Police National Headquarters.
In even more tragic news for the Singh family, the grandfather of Navjet's widow passed away in Manurewa, the family saying it was undoubtedly due to the shock the family has suffered over Navjet's passing in the past few days.
