New Zealand: Ram killed by police after elderly couple found dead in paddock at their home near Auckland

A ram believed to be responsible for killing an elderly couple has been shot dead by New Zealand police.

The pair, in their 80s, were found dead by their son in a paddock attached to their home in Waitakere, rural West Auckland, the New Zealand Herald reported.

He had grown concerned after not hearing from them in the morning, a family spokesperson said.

Police attended the scene at 7.30am local time and confirmed the ram was in the paddock at the time of their visit.

The country's force said in a statement: "Another party at the scene suffered a minor injury after being attacked by this ram."

It added that its officers were "confronted and approached" by the ram.

After assessing the situation, they shot the ram dead.

Dean Burrell, a relative, told the Herald the couple had "both lost their lives in a tragic accident".

"They're good people. They're over 80. They don't deserve this," Mr Burrell said.

"Everyone's in shock as to what's happened. They're very upset. I feel like I was dreaming it actually, it was a bit of shock, being told what had happened and I just didn't believe it."

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Mr Burrell's father had phoned him to tell him the news and he came to the scene to "support [his] cousins and the wider family".

An investigation into the deaths is under way and a post-mortem is expected.