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The driveway where the man's body was found in Lower Hutt - Source: ONE News -
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Police say a man who died in Wellington's Hutt Valley had some facial injuries which they will be looking into as part of their investigation.
Residents have described how Michael James Mulholland, 52, of Taita, died in his friend's arms in a driveway just a few hundred metres from his house.
A post mortem was expected to be carried out today, although police would not elaborate on the nature of Mulholland's injuries and why they are of interest.
Police would also not explain why they had cordoned off the dead man's house.
Emergency services were called to an address in Farmers Crescent in Taita, Lower Hutt, at about 10.15pm, after Mulholland was found by a friend unconscious on a driveway just 200 metres down the street from his home.
"I saw two men and a body, one of them was trying to do CPR and another one was calling the ambulance," a neighbour told ONE News.
Farmers Crescent is a stronghold for the Mongrel Mob but gang member "Fats" said Mulholland's death was not gang-related.
"He was a resident here for quite a while, 2005 or 2006 he turned up here and he was an awesome guy, he was a local who hung out with us," he told ONE News.
"It's not gang related, not that I know of. If it was we'd have known by now."
Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Mulholland died at the scene in his friend's arms.
Police said they are treating the death as suspicious and a team of 25 are currently working on the homicide inquiry.
"We are undertaking a number of scene examinations in the area with ESR and other specialist groups to establish various facts and gain more information to determine what has happened," Detective Inspector Darrin Thomson said.
"We expect to be in the Farmers Crescent area over the next few days and encourage anybody who has information to come forward."
Murder charge
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old man was yesterday charged with the murder of a woman who was found dead in her Hutt Valley flat.
Mary Donnelly, 38, was found dead in her Ebdentown Street home
by family members on the evening of August 30.