Statement from family of Jacob Pakura and from Inspector Trevor Beggs

Statement to be attributed to Inspector Trevor Beggs, Acting Area Commander, Waitakere Police

Police are continuing to investigate the fatal hit and run in Rua Road, Glen Eden, on Saturday night.

The victim was 16 year-old Jacob Pakura, of Glen Eden.

Investigations have continued throughout the day, and Police have a broad range of enquiries underway.

Officers have continued going door-to-door in the surrounding area, seeking to establish whether residents saw or heard anything.

Officers have continued to gather and review CCTV footage from the area and are asking any residents with cameras on private property who have not already been spoken to by Police, to get in touch.

There are a number of forensic enquiries underway as a result of the scene examination.

Several people have described hearing a car coming down Rua Road at speed just prior to midnight on Saturday.

Jacob received terrible injuries to his entire body and the driver involved will know without any doubt, that they have hit someone.

Their vehicle will be seriously damaged and they may have tried to hide it away, or have taken it to a friend or colleague to get fixed.

They may have also taken it to a garage to get repaired, and have given a different story to the panel-beater.

To have left a young man laying in the road with catastrophic injuries like this, is simply unthinkable.

This person may now be acting in a strange, or unusual way, with behaviour that is out of character.

Anyone who has a family member, flatmate or friend like this, is asked to contact us immediately, no piece of information is considered too small.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Waitakere CIB on 09 839 0656.

Anonymous information can be given to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Statement from the family of Jacob Pakura

When this person hit Jacob and they left, they hit our family.

They don’t know what they have taken away from us.

They don’t know what an awesome person he was, how much he loved life.

Jacob loved life, he loved living and he took every opportunity that he got.

He loved his skateboard, he had lots of friends and was very charismatic, he got along with everyone.

Our biggest question to the person who did this, is why couldn’t you stop?

When you hit him you didn’t just hit Jacob, you hit this whole family.

You took away everything, you took away his future, you took away memories, you took away everything this boy loved.

Please give our family closure and come forward.

ENDS

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