On 12 July, Judge Geoffrey Venning convened a jury for Epiha's trial for the attempted murder of Goldfinch. However, Epiha pleaded not guilty to the alleged attempted murder of the second police officer, who was identified as Constable David Goldfinch.
In early July 2021, Epiha pleaded guilty to Hunt's murder and dangerous driving causing injury after fleeing Police.
On 14 August, Epiha's name suppression lapsed after he abandoned his appeal for name suppression. He also pleaded not guilty to guilty to dangerous driving, causing injury to a member of the public. In early July 2020, Eli Epiha appeared in the Auckland High Court where he pleaded not guilty to murdering Constable Hunt and the attempted murder of the second police officer. Later that day, the Police took Bracken into custody in West Auckland and confirmed that she was assisting police inquiries. She was charged with driving charges and as an accessory to the murder. On 20 June, the Police announced that they were looking for a 30-year old woman named Natalie Bracken in relation to the shooting incident. The man briefly appeared in the Waitakere district court on 20 June where he was formally arraigned and remanded into custody until his next court appearance on 8 July. Later that night, a 24-year-old man was charged with murder, attempted murder and dangerous driving causing injury. The police also spoke to two persons of interest.
In addition, Police also arrested a fleeing driver on the Lincoln Road overbridge in the Northeast Motorway after using road spikes to stop his car. Several hours after the shooting, the Police stormed a home in Rena Place in Auckland's West Harbour. Armed police officers also guarded police stations. Eight schools in Massey were also placed in lockdown including Massey High School and Don Buck Primary School.
In response, the Police including members of the Armed Offenders Squad and Eagle helicopters launched a manhunt for the perpetrators and searched vehicles. According to Police, the suspect fled into a silver Mazda Demio following the shooting and later abandoned the vehicle. A member of the public was also injured by a vehicle during the incident. His colleague was wounded and admitted to hospital. Constable Hunt was killed during the shooting. On 19 June at 10:37am ( NZST), Constable Matthew Hunt and a second police officer were shot after a car they had tried to pull over crashed on Reynella Drive in Massey, Auckland. According to his family, Hunt's "life-long dream" was to be a police officer after studying criminology and working in prisons. He was raised by his mother alongside his sister in the Hibiscus Coast and attended Orewa College. When Hunt joined in October 2017 he joined as a part of Wing 312 trained at the Royal New Zealand Police College at PapakÅwhai. He spent the majority of his time as a frontline officer in his hometown, Orewa, before being transferred for a temporary rotation to the Impairment Prevention Team (IPT) based at the Auckland Harbour Bridge Police Station. Matthew Hunt was a 28-year-old constable born on 30 July 1991 who had served in the New Zealand Police for two and half years.