A man gunned down in a brazen drive-by shooting in Melbourne‘s north on Saturday afternoon has been named as Robert Issa.
Victoria Police said on Sunday the killing is linked to a raging underworld war over the illegal tobacco trade across the state.
Mr Issa, 27, was shot dead in a luxury Mercedes SUV riddled with bullets, while another man, 28, was seriously injured at Craigieburn Central shopping centre.
Four balaclava-clad gunmen remain on the run after targeting the pair as they sat in the car on Windrock Avenue at around 3pm on Saturday.
The dead man is believed to have been close to a Comanchero-linked figure and was involved in Melbourne’s criminal underworld, the Herald Sun reported.
A man gunned down in a brazen drive-by shooting in Melbourne ‘s north on Saturday afternoon has been named as Comanchero associate Robert Issa (pictured)
The shooters fled from the scene in a luxury SUV and the police are investigating if a black Range Rover Sport, which was later found burnt out, is linked to the attack.
One of the offenders may have suffered burns while torching the car, Victoria Police Crime Command Commander Paul O’Halloran said.
The suspects are still on the run with police hunting for clues regarding their whereabouts and identities.
After ditching and torching a second vehicle, the shooters got into another car near Hammersley Court, Reservoir.
Commander O’Halloran asked for the public’s help catch the alleged killers.
‘It was a busy location, (with) cars in the vicinity, people onsite and we are appealing for any information, witnesses and dashcam (footage) which would be vital to advance this investigation,’ he said.
The killing is believed to be the latest act in an underworld war for control of the illegal tobacco trade which has also seen a number of homes and businesses firebombed in recent months.
‘A significant investigation has been underway into a series of incidents linked in the last six months to organised crime groups involved in the importation and sale of illicit tobacco in the state of Victoria,’ Anti-Gangs Superintendent Jason Kelly said.
‘Police believe that the current situation is because of competing organised crime entities that are in conflict over the illicit tobacco trade here in Victoria and Australia more broadly.’
Groups involved in the conflict include Middle Eastern organised crime groups and outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Mr Issa was reportedly the target of another drive-by in Craigieburn last month which saw attackers spray his parents’ home with bullets while they slept inside.
His parents are not accused of any wrongdoing, nor is there a suggestion they had any knowledge of their son’s activities.
Mr Issa, 27, was shot dead in a luxury Mercedes SUV riddled with bullets (pictured), while another man, 28, was seriously injured at Craigieburn Central shopping centre
The shooters fled from the scene in a luxury SUV and the police are investigating if a black Range Rover Sport (pictured), which was later found burnt out, is linked to the attack
Police say the battle for control of Melbourne’s illegal tobacco trade is linked to the latest gangland execution. A scene from the aftermath of the shooting is pictured
‘What we’re seeing here is targeted attacks between criminals,’ Commander O’Halloran said, adding police were concerned about a further escalation of violence.
‘Melbourne and Victoria is a very safe place … however I understand and Victoria Police understands these are very distressing and worrying for the people who have … seen these incidents recently.’
Fitness worker Veronica Estimova, who works at the Elevate 24:7 Fitness gym in Craigieburn Central, said she heard ‘loud bangs’.
‘It was quite scary, we didn’t know what was going on,’ she said.
‘A group of people ran into the gym and said there had been a drive-by shooting, they said they saw a young man lying on the ground.’
The brazen attack came exactly four weeks after notorious crime figure Gavin ‘Capable’ Preston was gunned down outside a café.
Preston who was riddled with bullets while having breakfast with the son of his former mate Nabil ‘Mad Lebo’ Maghnie in Keilor, in Melbourne’s north-west.
Abbas Maghnie Jr, known as AJ, took a bullet in the stomach as he ran from Preston’s executioner at a café on September 8, but managed to survive.
The masked assassin and his getaway driver had reportedly parked opposite the site of the attack for three hours before the deadly ambush.
Preston, 50, was hit with 10 bullets in the daylight shooting at Sweet Lulus café.
A chilling 40-second clip of the killing showed a hooded man in black sprinting towards the café’s outdoor seating area and firing in Preston’s direction.
Terrified diners threw themselves to the ground and covered their faces as the notorious criminal slumped in his seat and fell to the ground beside his table.
As the gunman ran away, two women checked each other for injuries before grabbing their handbags and escaping the café.
Two men then cautiously approached Preston, who was motionless beside the table where just seconds earlier he had been eating breakfast.
Preston’s distraught fiancé Lauran Howe had to be restrained by officers after she arrived at the café in the aftermath of the shooting.
Underworld figure Gavin ‘Capable’ Preston was shot dead at Sweet Lulus cafe at Keilor Village in Melbourne’s north-west in September
‘He’s my husband,’ she could be heard screaming as she tried to get through police tape cordoning off the scene to the public.
Ms Howe eventually had to be led away by officers with another man, also known to Preston, also pinned to the ground by officers.
It’s believed the alleged shooters fled the scene in a black Audi Q5. Two burnt-out cars were found after the shooting, including one just 500m from the scene.
The luxury SUV was found abandoned in nearby Blair Court before the gunmen fled in a second car.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com