Tourist shot dead in camper van in seemingly random attack in New Zealand

Killer stole vehicle and fled with body inside, police say

Police collect evidence in the car park of the Te Toto Gorge lookout outside Raglan, New Zealand, where a man was shot dead in a camper van (AP/Alan Gibson)

An Australian tourist has been found shot dead inside a camper van in what police believe was a random attack outside a popular New Zealand surfing town.

The man and his partner were sleeping in the van which was parked near a scenic spot in the coastal town of Raglan when a suspect approached their vehicle just after 3am on Friday.

The attacker demanded the key to the couple’s camper van before shooting the Australian, police said. His partner managed to run away and called the police.

The suspect then stole the van and drove away with the injured tourist still inside.

Police found the van at 8am about 46 miles away in the village of Gordonton with the dead body of the Australian inside.

It was not immediately clear if the man had died from the wounds he received in the initial attack or had been subject to further violence.

Police did not immediately identify the victim although New Zealand media said he was 33-year-old Sean McKinnon and the woman who escaped was his 32-year-old Canadian fiancé.

A manhunt has been launched in the Waikato region to find the male suspect and all local police officers have been ordered to carry their guns until the man is caught.

"This is a tragic incident," Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley said. "I want to reassure the public that we are working hard to identify and locate the offender. It is our absolute priority."

He said police were supporting the woman, who was "very shocked and distressed."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mr McKinnon grew up in the town of Warrnambool, about 155 miles southwest of Melbourne, and that friends remembered him as a talented musician who liked to surf big waves.

Wayne Such told the newspaper that Mr McKinnon was a "genuine, gentle man with a heart of gold."

Gun-related homicides are very rare in New Zealand and thousands of tourists choose to park their camper vans on the side of roads every year.

In the wake of the Christchurch shootings, police launched the country's first gun "buyback" with over 200 prohibited firearms handed over to the state.

Additional reporting by AP