Survivor Speaks: The man who dodged a bullet and stopped the shooter on March 15

Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah, the man who was hailed a hero for throwing the Eftpos machine at the shooter at Linwood mosque on March 15, 2019, said the only way to stop this racism and wave of hatred is by looking out for each other.

Abdul Aziz is said to be the man who fought with the shooter, driving him away from the mosque with his ammunitions as he ended his bullet spraying spree at the Linwood mosque.

From Left: Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah and Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir praying at a mosque in Auckland (IWK Image)

Recollecting the horrors from the March 15 incident, he says while the worshippers lay injured and some dead from the terrorist’s bullets, he looked out for the shooter before missing a bullet than flew past his ears, barely a few centimetres from his face. He was able to find the closest object lying next to him and rattled the shooter for a second by throwing the Eftpos machine on his face.

The shooter picked another firearm from his vehicle and started shooting while Aziz ducked behind the cars parked in the driveway. Aziz called him to the driveway, trying to deflect him from going back to the mosque. Aziz picked up the shotgun the shooter left on the ground, but it had no bullets.

From Left: Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah and Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir in Auckland (IWK Image)

Seeing the gun in Aziz’s hands, the shooter ran to his car trying to flee when Aziz ran towards the vehicle and slammed the weapon to his window. The shooter’s car slammed with the police vehicle at the kerb where two police officers apprehended him. Other officers also approached Aziz as he had a gun in his hands but was let go realising he tried to stop the shooter.

Abdul Aziz was in Auckland along with Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir on Wednesday, March 11 where the duo were felicitated at James Cook High School as the students performed a Waiata in memory of the 51 lives lost in Christchurch last year.

“If you see someone in trouble, help them, raise your voice, let not racism, even casual in nature, thrive, watch out for each other, spread the message of love and do not give in to hate and racism,” Abdul Aziz said.