Two men shot dead at Meadow Heights in spate of Melbourne gun violence
A man desperately worked to save his fatally wounded friend after a double shooting in Meadow Heights last night, with witnesses describing the panic and cries for help during the third deadly gun violence incident to rock Melbourne since Friday.
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Cries for help were heard as a dying man begged a witness to call the police after a shooting which left two dead in Meadow Heights last night.
It is the third Melbourne gun violence incident to rock the city since Friday, with four victims killed in as many days.
Police were called to Huntly and Morris courts in Meadow Heights about 10.15pm, where two men, aged 40 and 28, were found with gunshot wounds.
One man was found on Huntly Crt, and the other on Morris Crt. The two streets are about 500m apart.
Paramedics rushed to the scene, but neither man could be saved.
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Erdogan Selek said a topless man with neck tattoos who was performing CPR on his bloodied mate lying on the footpath ran to him for help.
Mr Selek and his wife arrived at their Huntly Crt home about 10 minutes before the shooting.
“The guy walked up and asked for the address. I asked what happened and he said: ‘My mate’s been shot — can you call triple-0?’” he told the Herald Sun.
Mr Selek said the man was panicked and ran back to his mate to recommence CPR.
“He was distressed. Really worried,” he said. “His friend was lying on the nature strip opposite my house.
“He had blood on his face … It looked like he had been shot in the face but it was dark.
“My children heard two shots beforehand.”
Mr Selek described the man as bald, caucasian, aged in his 30s with tattoos on his neck.
It is understood he had removed his shirt to stem the bleeding from his fatally wounded mate.
DYING MAN’S SCREAMS FOR HELP
One of the victims was seen being wheeled around in a shopping trolley, crying out for help and screaming “I’ve been shot” shortly before his death, a witness said.
Sam Mohamad said he came across the dying man directly out the front of his home in Ellam Crt — between the two streets where the bodies were discovered.
Mr Mohamad said he ran out of his house after hearing gunshots and screaming in the distance.
“I went outside and I saw this guy pushing the other one in the shopping trolley,” he said.
“(The man in the trolley) said: ‘Please call the police. Help me, I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot.’ I ran inside and called the police.”
He said when he came back outside the trolley had been pushed to the other side of the road and the man was gone.
Mr Mohamad also said he saw another man running off down the bottom of the court towards Rokewood Reserve.
He added he earlier heard the man in the trolley say to the man pushing him, “please just leave me and go”.
The witness said it was too dark to get a description of the man in the trolley or the man who ran off.
Moura Mahfouz, a mother of three from Huntly Crt, said she could see one man on the ground, one man trying to help him up and two men running off.
“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “The two men were definitely running off together. I think they were the ones that fired the shots.”
Huntly Crt resident Huy Tran also said he heard shots fired in quick succession.
“It was like bang and then another bang,” he said. “I was in my bedroom. I could hear the gunshots from out of nowhere.”
Homicide Squad detectives are investigating, with police continuing to file in throughout the morning.
SES crews arrived on scene at 7.45am and firefighters about 11.20am.
A Toyota Echo hatchback with a badly damaged drivers-side door was towed from the scene about 1pm.
The two streets where the bodies were discovered have been blocked off, and a police command post set up at the Huntly Crt and Rokewood Cres intersection as emergency services continue searching area.
A man with his face covered by a hoodie arrived at the police cordon, attempting to get through before lashing out at waiting media, swearing and raising his middle finger.
He was spoken to by detectives before being driven off in a police car.
MELBOURNE GUN VIOLENCE EXPLODES
The incident is the latest in a string of shootings across Melbourne which has left four dead in as many days.
The homicide and armed crime squads as well as the anti-gangs divisions are investigating.
Crime Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Michael Frewen reassured the community the shootings were an “absolute priority” for police.
“There have been four fatal shootings in four days … this is of great community concern for the state of Victoria. Each are at critical points in the investigation.”
Police believe while none of the shootings were connected, all involved “planned contact” and people known to each other.
Mr Frewen said police were probing possible gangland links to the shootings.
“With regards to underworld and gangland connections, we are exploring all avenues. Each shooting has specific information and we are exploring the associations and reasons for contact.
“This includes what they did for an occupation, who they were associated with and what contact they had.”
Mr Frewen also said suburban shootings highlight the concerning “proliferation of firearms” in the community.
He urged the public to report illegal firearms and firearm dealing to prevent further harm.
“These guns are used as a tool of trade for protection or intimidation,” he said.
“From time to time, poor judgment is exercised or an irrational decision is made which leads to a fatal shooting. We want them out of the community.”
There were also fears of revenge attacks, with Mr Frewen saying: “Reprisal activity is always at the front of our minds.”
On Friday, a fight-night triple shooting in Kensington left young dad Ben Togiai dead.
A drug turf war is believed to be behind the shocking incident which wounded two other people, leaving one in a critical condition.
Three men — Mikhael Myko, 25, of Pascoe Vale, and the El Nasher brothers, Abdullah, 27, and Ali, 28, of Brunswick — are wanted over the boxing shooting on Friday night. The identity of a fourth person wanted by police remains unknown.
And on Sunday, a man’s body was found with gunshot wounds inside a crashed car on Dawn Ave, Dandenong. Police believe the victim, aged in his 50s, died in a targeted attack.
Premier Daniel Andrews said he had no advice Victoria was in the midst of a gang war.
“These are very disturbing incidents and that’s why it is important we stay the course and support Victoria Police as they get to the bottom of what’s happened,” he said.
He said firearm prohibiting orders and additional police resources had cracked down on gun culture.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
Originally published as Two men shot dead at Meadow Heights in spate of Melbourne gun violence