A neighbour understands there was an “altercation” before a man was found dead in a South Dunedin street on Wednesday night.
Cordons are in place in Leckhampton Court, off South Rd, and police are at the scene of what they are calling an unexplained death.
A Leckhampton Court resident said police had spoken to him about whether he had seen anything between 10.30 and 11pm yesterday.
“They said there was an altercation on the street, and if we heard or saw anything, we have to tell them,” he said.
“They want to know about that suspicious activity, if anyone saw it.”
“[They said] they don’t know who it was yet, and that it was suspicious.”
Officers took CCTV footage from the resident’s home.
The man said he heard sirens and when he looked outside he saw ambulance staff performing CPR on a man in the street.
“It was intense,” he said.
“It was scary for the person, you know, I wasn’t thinking about myself.”
Inspector Porima Rangitutia said emergency services were called about 11pm on Wednesday to Leckhampton Court, where a man was located unresponsive.
“Despite efforts to revive the man, he was pronounced deceased a short time later.”
Insp Rangitutia said a guard was in place, and a scene examination would be carried out later today.
“Leckhampton Court is currently closed between South Road and St Helliers Court, and is expected to remain closed for most of the day.”
A police officer at the scene on Thursday morning. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery
Another resident said she did not realise anything was going on until she saw flashing police lights through her curtains about 11pm.
There were no sirens or other loud noises before she noticed the lights, she said.
“I didn’t hear anything, and I normally hear everything,” she said.
“It’s quite bizarre.”
She looked outside and saw police were cordoning off an area.
About 40 minutes later, the police knocked on her door and asked if she had any CCTV footage of the area, which she did not.
“They just said that they’d found a male deceased on the road,” she said.
Leckhampton Court was usually a pretty quiet place, she said, apart from a few boarding houses and occasionally some drivers in the area were “a bit ruthless”.
“There’s a couple of boarding houses across the road, kind of near where that’s happened, that can get a bit rowdy,” she said.
“I wonder if it’s got something to do with one of them.”
“But pretty quiet other than that.”
In October 2016, a man was stabbed in the neck at a Leckhampton Court boarding house.
The Otago Daily Times spoke to multiple other residents in the area, all of whom said they did not hear any sirens or police approach while they slept.
Another resident said she was quite concerned she would not be able to walk down the road, and instead would have to walk up a hill.
One man said there was a body in the middle of the road, and police were investigating.
Police were appealing for anybody with information to contact them.
“We’re interested in any unusual or suspicious activity on Leckhampton Court between 10:30pm and 11pm yesterday evening.”
Anyone with relevant dashcam or CCTV footage was asked to contact police via 105, referencing file number 261001/3548.