Shot man's widow to take body to Iraq

By LOUISA CLEAVE

The wife of a man shot dead by police as he stabbed her in their East Auckland home will return to Iraq with his body.

Haidar Ebbadi Mahdi was shot in the head by a constable standing 7m away whom he had stabbed in the arm.

The officer fired several shots from a Glock pistol.

Three police staff went to the Pakuranga flat after St John Ambulance told them of a violent incident at the address.

They found Mr Mahdi distressed and carrying a carving knife.

Detective Inspector Steve Rutherford, who is heading the homicide investigation, said Mr Mahdi refused to put the knife down and advanced on the police.

The use of pepper spray had "limited impact" and the officer suffered stab wounds to his arm.

Mr Mahdi was shot when he started striking his wife with the knife, Mr Rutherford said.

An Immigration Service spokeswoman said Mr Mahdi and his wife came to New Zealand as refugees in October 2002.

They had been granted permanent residency before arriving, and settled in Porirua.

About three months ago, the couple moved to Pakuranga and settled among the suburb's Iraqi community.

They kept their Dale Cres home in "immaculate condition", according to their landlord.

Last week they went to Muriwai Beach together to buy a broken-down car offered in a classified advertisement.

The woman who sold the car described them as "lovely people".

Members of Mr Mahdi's immediate family in Australia denounced the police shooting.

His 26-year-old brother, Bilal Mahdi, said last night that whatever Mr Mahdi's actions were, they did not justify his being killed in such a way.

"Maybe he [had] done something or done something wrong with his wife, but there are 100 ways to figure out this problem, not this way with a gun."

Bilal and his two brothers, Kamel and Mithim, learned about Mr Mahdi's death on Monday from Mr Mahdi's wife, who is a cousin.

Bilal said Mr Mahdi and his wife married in 1989 and had a good relationship. "They love each other."

Asked if Mr Mahdi ever hit his wife, Bilal said every husband and wife had their problems and sometimes such things happened.

But he said everything was fine the last time he talked to his brother, which was on Friday night. They chatted about Mr Mahdi's health, his wife and life in general.

The four brothers were in regular contact, phoning or emailing one another several times a month. "We are a close family," Bilal Mahdi said.

The family, which includes another three brothers, three sisters and Mr Mahdi's father in Iraq, were very upset about the way Mr Mahdi died.

He had come to New Zealand to escape violence in Iraq.

"He came here to live peacefully, not to be killed," Bilal Mahdi said.

The three brothers in Australia wanted to come here to comfort Mr Mahdi's wife, but could not because they were on temporary visas in Australia.

Yesterday, Mr Mahdi's widow was staying with friends in the Iraqi community and preparing to return to Iraq with his body.

A community spokesman, Abdul Karim Alzawada, said she was sad, but coping.

She had indicated she would not come back to New Zealand.

Mr Alzawada said Mr Mahdi had mental health problems and was taking medication but it was not clear why he attacked his wife and police.

"They enjoyed their life [in New Zealand]. They had started a new life.

"If he is a normal man he should put down the knife. It was a mental problem," Mr Alzawada said.

Counties Manukau police yesterday confirmed it was the first time police had been called to an incident at the address.

The officer who shot Mr Mahdi was authorised to carry a firearm in his police vehicle and the decision to take it inside the address would have been made en route to the house.

A police spokeswoman said the three officers would have received information from the northern communications centre and assessed the danger. "This is normal practice."