The sister-in-law of Solomona Tootoo, one of the two men who lost their lives during the Auckland CBD shooting on July 20, has said Tootoo was a “hardworking, family-oriented man”.
Last Thursday, 24-year-old Matu Tangi Matua Reid travelled to a construction site at 1 Queen St in Auckland’s CBD, and opened fire on a number of construction workers.
During this horrific attack, Tootoo and Tupuga Sipiliano were shot dead.
Tooto’s sister-in-law, Kiri Cherrington, has used a Givealittle page to talk about the type of person Tootoo was, describing him as a “loving husband, father, son, brother and friend”.
“[He] will be missed by all that crossed paths with him in his life,” Cherrington wrote.
Lawrence Smith/Stuff
Armed police were some of the first on the scene last Thursday.
“My sister has lost her first love. He came into her life and showed her the meaning of true love and made sure he provided her and his daughter with everything he was able to.”
Cherrington said Tootoo’s daughter, who is 6, had “not only lost her father, but her best friend and her protector”.
“Their whole world has been ripped away from them in a blink of a second.”
Cherrington said she was using Givealittle to raise money not just for funeral expenses, but to support Tootoo’s widow, Rachel Tootoo, raise the couple’s young daughter.
“Please join us in showing our love and support to Solomona’s wife and daughter as they work through this tragic situation of not only loss…
