Taxi driver killed in Melbourne was a NZ refugee
A taxi driver killed in Melbourne as he walked home was a Somalian refugee who had been living in New Zealand.
Muktar Mahmud finished his shift on Wednesday night and was walking to his Fitzroy home when he was reportedly stabbed around 11.30pm.
Paramedics and police officers from the nearby Fitzroy Police Station tried to save the cab driver, but he died at the scene.
Detective Inspector Mick Hughes said two witnesses saw a slim man running through a nearby park after the late-night attack.
"About five minutes after that (attack) two people sitting in Condell Reserve ... hear a faint cry for help and they see a young man, approximately 183 centimetres with a slim build and light shoulder-length hair, running through the reserve," he told reporters on Thursday.
Police say there was no suggestion the man, who was carrying a satchel, was involved "but he was certainly in the location at the time of the murder".
Insp Hughes said the driver could have been the victim of a spontaneous attack by a thief who thought the taxi driver may have been carrying large amounts of cash at the end of his shift.
The young man suffered upper body injuries and was not shot. No weapons have been found, Inspector Hughes said.
Police said the attack was likely random.
Muktar Mahmud's wallet and mobile phone were found next to his body.
Relative Ahmed Goud said the victim came from a large family.
"I'm really shocked, he's a very nice guy, and we are a close family," he told reporters outside Mr Hussein's Fitzroy flat.
Mr Goud said the victim was a hard-working and nice young man.
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