An Irish man shot dead by police in Malta on Monday morning, after allegedly murdering his former partner, had a history of confrontations with police before the fatal incident.
Edward Johnston (50), from Dublin, is believed to have killed Nicolette Ghirxi (48) with a knife in an apartment in Birkirkara, a city in the east of Malta’s main island, on Sunday.
The pair had been in a relationship, which had broken down. According to Maltese police, Mr Johnston had been harassing Ms Ghirxi over social media in recent months following the end of their relationship.
This included setting up accounts under fake names to target her.
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The body of Ms Ghirxi, who was from Malta, was found at 2am on Monday in her apartment. Mr Johnston was shot dead by police near the Hilton Hotel, in the town of St Julian’s about 6km away.
Ms Ghirxi, who worked in a local bank, had complained to police about Mr Johnston’s harassment but said she did not feel under threat, Maltese police said.
The Irish man had a history of confrontations with police dating to the early 2010s.
According to court reports, Mr Johnston was arrested by police in the UK in February 2012 after brandishing a replica gun in Liverpool city centre while drunk. The court heard he came close to being shot by police.
A week later he entered an Italian restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland and claimed he had a bomb. The incident brought the city centre to a standstill for hours and triggered a massive police and military response.
During the negotiations with police, Mr Johnston repeatedly said he wanted the police to shoot and kill him. Police subdued him using a stun gun before arresting him. He was later jailed for 28 months.
Mr Johnson, a father of one, had lived in Malta, Scotland and Ireland in recent years. He worked trading stocks online and selling training courses on the stock market.
He had built up a significant following on various social media channels, under the alias Edwardo Sambora, which he used to offer tips on the stock market.
His social media accounts feature posts showing him posing with high-end cars and in luxurious hotels. In one recent video he said he was able to retire due to his success. In another he said he was planning on moving to Italy.
UK company records state he is the sole director of Sambora Trading, a company founded in Motherwell, Lanarkshire in 2021. It lists his home country as Scotland.
It is understood he had left Malta in recent weeks and spent some time in Ireland before returning last week.
Maltese media reported he was a former soldier. The Irish Defence Forces said it has no record of him serving in the organisation.
During a press conference on Monday morning, Maltese police said Mr Johnston was brandishing a replica firearm when he was shot dead in the early hours of Monday morning. He was hit three times by specialist firearms officers.
Mr Johnston came to the attention of authorities when he went to the Hilton Hotel at midnight and asked for a drink. When told the bar was closed, he pulled out a weapon and started threatening staff.
Armed police officers responded and Mr Johnston told them he had killed someone.
Police went to Ms Ghirxi’s apartment and forced their way in. They found her body with multiple knife wounds. Two knives were found at the scene and there were no signs of a break-in.
Police negotiators spoke to Mr Johnston for several hours on the shoreline behind the hotel, attempting to convince him to put the weapon down.
On one occasion he walked into the sea and held the replica gun to his head. Police say they opened fire when he lunged at officers. Mr Johnston was wounded and later died in hospital.
Maltese police commissioner Angelo Gafa said the shooting took place in complete darkness and it was impossible for officers to determine that the gun was a replica.
He said officers opened fire as it was deemed to be a life-threatening situation.
Mr Gafa said Ms Ghirxi and the dead man had been in a relationship that had broken down.
Ms Ghirxi had made a number of complaints to police alleging Mr Johnston had been harassing her. However, Mr Gafa said she told police she did not feel in danger.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. “As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” it said.
The Irish Embassy in Malta said its role is to assist any relatives of the dead man who may come forward.
