Police had visited Whangarei property before the fatal shootings of a mother and daughter

Saturday, 29 July 2017

Neighbours described Quinn Patterson as a loner who liked to fire off guns 'on a daily basis'..

Police last month visited the Whangarei property where a mother and daughter were on Wednesday fatally shot, and were told that target shooting was being done there.

Wendy Campbell and her daughter Natanya Campbell were gunned down by Quinn Patterson as they arrived at the Mt Tiger Rd property on Wednesday for a property inspection.

Victims of Northland's double fatal shooting were mother and daughter Wendy Campbell and daughter Natanya.

On Friday, police confirmed Patterson did not have a gun licence but had owned 'a number of' firearms.

'How he came to acquire these firearms is clearly a concern, and an important focus of the investigation.'

Forensic teams continue to inspect the Mt Tiger Rd property in Whangarei three days after a fatal shooting claimed the lives of Wendy Campbell and her daughter Natanya Campbell.

* Calls for tougher gun laws after Quinn Patterson guns down a mother and daughter

* Police locate gun from Quinn Patterson's home after double fatal shooting**

Superintendent Russell Le Prou, Northland District Commander, said on Saturday that last month, an officer visited the Mt Tiger Road property after receiving information that a small, possibly illegal structure had been built on the property.

The officer 'offered to visit the property and was told that the structure was a platform to be used for target practice'.

'After discussion with Patterson, and with no other relevant information the officer was aware of about Patterson, or activity at the property, he was satisfied it was a tenancy matter that required no further action by police.'

Meanwhile, the sole survivor of the shooting has been discharged from hospital.

Jeff Pipe took a bullet in his back, then managed to escape in his car while another bullet broke his windscreen.

Pipe, who had gone with the pair to carry out repairs at the house, managed to drive down the road where police helped him and he was rushed to Whangarei Hospital.

Patterson died at the house after it went up in flames following a stand-off with police.

On Saturday morning a Northland DHB duty manager said Pipe had been discharged from hospital.

At Pipe's home, family members said they did not want to speak to media.

Le Prou said the officer's visit to the property last month 'forms part of the ongoing investigation into what was known about Patterson's background'.

Good progress was being made on the scene investigations and it was expected to be finished on Saturday or Sunday, he said.

'The investigation at the scene is meticulous as police work with fire investigators to understand the cause of the fire and build a picture of what has occurred at the scene.'

He said that while police understood the public's need for answers, police were still piecing together everything that happened leading up to the events on Wednesday.

'We will continue to provide updates on the progress of the investigation as we can.'

Le Prou said Patterson's body was removed from the scene on Friday and a post mortem was being completed on Saturday morning.

The bodies of Natanya and Wendy Campbell were removed on Thursday and the post mortem has been completed. They had now been returned to their families, Le Prou said.