People are combing an Auckland suburb for Kael Leona who is suspected of fatally stabbing a woman on a bus in Auckland yesterday.
At a press conference this morning police said Laona is in his late 30s, was last seen in the Mt Wellington area wearing dark coloured pants, black jumper with white writing on the front and white shoes.
He also had a green t-shirt on his head and was not previously wanted for violent crimes.
Acting Detective Inspector Alisse Robertson said the offender and victim were on the bus near each other for some time and she was not aware of an altercation prior to the stabbing.
Leona is known to police and the attack has being described as random.
Emergency services rushed to Church St in Onehunga yesterday afternoon at about 2.30pm, following reports of a person being stabbed.
The woman was initially in a critical condition and taken to Auckland City Hospital, but police confirmed she had died a few hours late
Police have been combing the suburb for the attacker.
The area where the attack happened on Church Street was busy with shops and the Te Papapa train station.
A resident on nearby Victoria Street, who lives in a block of units, said police searched his home an hour after the attack, looking for the offender.
The man said police told him they had been told someone had been seen running down the driveway.
"I didn't know what was going on at that stage, they just asked if I consented to my house being searched because their dog wouldn't leave the area so I let them in."
The man said there were between 15 to 20 officers, outside his home, who were mostly armed.
"It was scary - I don't know why they pin-pointed my house, but they didn't find anything here."
Police left his driveway shortly after 5pm, he said, but were still patrolling nearby hours later.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has posted on social media describing the attack as a senseless homicide.
Speaking to Morning Report, Mitchell said he had not had a police update since last night.
It was now an ongoing investigation and the police's priority would be to locate the offender and lay charges.
The Auckland president of Tramways union, Gary Froggett, said he had worked in the bus driving industry for close to 60 years and had never heard of a person being killed on a bus before.
"There's been an increase in violence and safety issues since Covid-19, but nothing to this extent.
"I've had multiple calls from drivers following this death telling me they're concerned about their safety going back to work in the morning."
Many bus drivers had left the job recently, Froggett said, as they'd had enough of violence against them and fights between members of the public.
Auckland Transport confirmed the assault involved a passenger on the number 74 bus service in Onehunga.
"We are working with our bus operator to provide support to the bus driver who witnessed this incident as well as our other customers who were onboard at the time," AT director of public transport Stacey van der Putten said.
"We are committed to working with our partner agencies and communities to turn the tide on violence and aggression in our public spaces."
