Police have confirmed a man found dead in a Raglan driveway was fatally shot — on the same morning a dog with a gunshot wound turned up at a local shop.
Cedric Maniapoto, 58, was found dead in a driveway on Ohautira Rd on Tuesday morning.
Police said he was widely known by his friends and family as "Brother Cedi".
Acting detective inspector Andrew Saunders said police were working hard to get to the bottom of what happened to Maniapoto.
"We feel for his immediate and extended whānau, who deserve some answers.
"It is devastating for Mr Maniapoto’s whānau to have to prepare to farewell after a loved one who was so unceremoniously taken away, and we are determined to find who is responsible."
A medium sized brown and white dog called Napier turned up at the local store in Te Uku with a gunshot wound on the same morning that Maniapoto was found dead on Ohautira Rd.
The store is around 7km from the scene where Maniapoto was found. It had not been established how Napier made his way to the store.
He was a "lucky survivor" of his injuries and was recovering well, Saunders said.
The relationship between Maniapoto and the dog was unknown but Napier was not Maniapoto's dog.
Police urged anyone travelling in the area between 10pm on March 4 and 8am on March 5 to get in contact, as they could have "key" information for the homicide investigation.
"We would like to hear from anyone that may have seen a dog on the road between the scene location and Te Uku, or if anyone delivered Napier to that location,” said Saunders.
"The area is busy during the day but is quiet at night, and we are interested in speaking to anyone that saw another person or vehicle while passing through the area."
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