A Tongan mother solemnly reflects on the life and legacy of her son, who was tragically shot and killed by police in Auckland.

Young dad Halatau Ki’anamanu Naitoko, 17, was mistakenly shot on January 23, 2009, on Auckland’s Northwestern Motorway as officers tried to stop gunman Stephen McDonald, who had gone on a shooting rampage.
About four years later, police announced Naitoko’s family would receive a total of $225,000 in compensation.
The compensation includes $100,000 for hardship and suffering, $25,000 towards legal costs, and $100,000 already paid to the family shortly after the 17-year-old’s death.
The Naitoko family’s lawyer, Colin Pidgeon QC, said at the time that after a lengthy analysis by a leading expert in Bill of Rights law, they had decided to make a claim and settled on the sum of $1 million.
As she commemorates the 16th anniversary of his passing, ‘Ivoni Fuimaono shares memories of his son.
“Wish you were here my son, 16 years today I miss you”, she wrote on Facebook.
His funeral was reported to have been attended by more than 1,000 mourners, including then Police Minister Judith Collins, Police Commissioner Howard Broad and numerous politicians.

Mourners were told Naitoko worked hard to help feed his brothers and sisters.
The young courier driver was a loving and devoted father to his two-year-old daughter, mourners heard.