The wife of a man who was shot dead in Auckland on Sunday morning is due to give birth to their child today.
Afa Brown was married in late January, but after the incident in Mangere, he's left behind a pregnant young widow and their child is about to go through life without knowing their father.
On Monday friends gather to pay tribute to the 26-year-old at the spot where he was gunned down in Mangere East.
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"He was humble, he was respectful to elderly people," one told Newshub. "He's gone too soon, you know."
Mr Brown's wedding day was less than two months ago, and he was awaiting the birth of his child this week.
"[It was] a new chapter of his life, trying to live right, I was trying to help him," a friend said.
"He was a good fulla, humble, he was a funny guy too," another said. "It was an honour to know him."
Some family and friends have said online that the victim did have gang connections, although no one has confirmed this.
Police said they're making "steady progress" in their hunt for Mr Brown's killer.
His death comes less than a month after a man was shot and another suffered facial injuries at Mangere Bridge. Police also said they were shot at early on Sunday after three men fled towards Mangere from Kingsland following an alleged aggravated robbery.
Mangere MP Aupito William Sio is worried the recent spate of incidents signals an increase in gun crime in the area.
"[It's raised] concern about why firearms seem to be the cause of these deaths."
Police data provided to RNZ shows rates remained steady at 1.9 per million in 2015 and 2016, but rose slightly to 2.1 per million in 2017.
Police couldn't provide gun crime statistics for 2018, but a spokesperson said it "does not appear that there is a significant increase or spike in gun crime over the years".
Community leaders say the suburb of Mangere East is much more than the violence often associated with it.
"In every community you have you have a very small percentage for whatever reason who go off the radar and choose unlawful behaviour," Mangere-Otahuhu Local Board Chair Lemauga Lydia Sosene said.
"This community is an amazingly beautiful community, extremely vibrant and ethnically diverse," Mangere East Community Centre manager Hone Fowler said.
But it's also a community facing significant challenges. A meeting will be held later this month over recent violent incidents.
Newshub.
