Newlands shooting: Sam Fakalago's partner says she watched him die

The woman at the centre of the fatal police shooting in Wellington last week says she is traumatised from seeing her partner killed in front of her.

"The bullet went straight past my ear," the woman, who doesn't want to be named, told the Herald.

Samuel Fakalago was an associate of the King Cobras, New Zealand's oldest patched gang, but was made a full member posthumously and was to be buried in a patch, the Herald understands.

He was shot by police during a tense standoff in the suburb of Newlands on Tuesday afternoon last week.

Police said they were called to a family harm incident at the Kingsbridge Place home and that Fakalago was holding a knife to the woman's throat.

But the woman disputed the police account and told the Herald on Sunday she never felt unsafe with Fakalago, whom she described as a "loving dad" and a "great partner".

Samuel Fakalago was fatally shot by police last week. Photo / Supplied

"If it's a family harm incident, why would they come with guns?" she asked.

Fakalago was visiting from Auckland after a family member was taken to hospital.

He had picked up the woman's daughter from kindergarten and returned home about 2.45pm.

"He was dead by 3.30," the woman said.

Acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Tracey Thompson said police at the scene saw Fakalago holding a knife to a woman's throat and had "grave concerns" for her safety. The woman disputed this and said she was never in danger from her partner.

Sam Fakalago was a loving dad, his partner said. Photo / Supplied

"He was trying to barricade the house because of course he didn't want to go back to jail," she said.

Police said a child at the address managed to escape, but the woman said she had sent her 4-year-old daughter out of the house because she was afraid police would shoot while she was still inside.

"She didn't see anything, what scared her was the police."

The woman said Fakalago, who had diagnosed mental health issues, began having a mental breakdown when police arrived.

"He had grabbed the back of my top and kind of pulled it back and that's when they shot him."

She felt a bullet fly past her ear as they shot at Fakalago.

Police guard the scene of the shooting. Photo / Mark Mitchell

"I saw my partner die right in front of me for no reason and I have to live with the trauma, not them. I can't unsee what I've seen . . . Why would you shoot one man seven times?

"They were so cold-hearted, they didn't stuff around at all . . . it's just disgusting how everything ended up."

After the shots were fired, everything happened fast.

"All the police came running in and rushing me out of the house," she said.

"It was really traumatic and I feel like everyone's just blaming me, but the thing is that police need to be held accountable for their actions."

The woman doesn't expect she will move back to the house, planning only to go back to have it blessed and move out her belongings out.

"I'm not going to live in a house where they killed my partner," she said.

Acting Wellington District Commander Inspector Tracey Thompson during her press conference the day after the shooting. Photo / Mark Mitchell

"He's a really nice guy, you know. Everyone's got a past but he wasn't like that. He was really good with [my daughter] . . . He didn't want to be anywhere else but with us."

"The police need to take responsibility for what they've done," she said. "His family, everyone that loves him, needs some sort of closure."

"They look at Samuel like he's just another gang member that they needed to get off the street, but he was a loving dad, a great partner.

"Not all gang members are like how they make them out to be, some are good family men too."

She said he "gave a lot of love to me and my daughter", which they would cherish forever.

A police spokeswoman said an investigation into Fakalago's death was ongoing.

"The IPCA has been notified of the incident," she said. "As such, we are not in a position to comment further."