As an unsuspecting tradie ambles up a footpath, a figure dressed in black runs up behind him before firing one, quick shot in broad daylight.
The tradie looked briefly at the gunman before the bullet went clean through his left ankle, then into his right foot, sending him to the ground roaring and writhing in pain.
The man’s agonised bellows rang out on the suburban street as another car, just passing by, approached. By the time paramedics showed up, the footpath was soaked in blood.
Victoria Police on Monday released CCTV of the shooting at Fawkner in Melbourne’s north, which left the 49-year-old tradie – an alleged associate of gunned-down underworld figure Sam “The Punisher” Abdulrahim – with serious injuries, which require ongoing treatment almost six months later.
Detectives are still hunting for the gunman behind the October 3 attack, in which the tradie was lured to an address under the pretense of providing a quote for fixing a fence.
He was one in a long line of targets on the receiving end of a firebomb, bullet or threat allegedly because of their association with Abdulrahim, who was shot dead in January this year.
Footage of the shooting on Denys Street at Fawkner shows a white 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC43 rounding a roundabout, then park on the street after 9am.
The tradie arrived about 9.30am, when the gunman got out of the Mercedes, shooting him before jumping back into the car – bearing cloned plates 1NB7FC – and fleeing.
A witness described the gunman as about 182 centimetres tall and of African appearance, with a slim build, dark hair and brown eyes, Victoria Police said. He was wearing a dark hooded jumper with the hood pulled up, black trackpants, and black and white sneakers at the time of the shooting.
A witness provided a description of the man – he is believed to be of African appearance, around 182cm tall, with a slim build, dark hair and brown eyes.Credit: Victoria Police
The address the tradie was called to attend to was picked “at random”, detectives said. They released a digitally curated image of their suspect on Monday, and asked for anyone who knew him to come forward.
“While we do believe this was a planned and targeted attack, it would have been incredibly frightening for those on the street who were simply going about their daily lives at 9.30 on a Wednesday morning,” armed crime squad Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said.
“We have a significant investigation into the incident underway and are keen to speak to anyone who has information about the shooting or who recognises the man in the facefit or the CCTV.
“This had the potential to impact innocent parties and we will do absolutely everything in our power to bring those involved before the court.”
Abdulrahim, a former bikie-turned-boxer, was gunned down in front of his girlfriend at the Quest hotel in Preston in Melbourne’s north on the morning of January 28, as a hit squad lay in the wait in a car park.
He had recently gone “underground” to escape a $1 million murder contract on his head, after surviving multiple assassination plots down the years, and a race is now on to discover who in his inner circle betrayed his location. His killers remain on the run.
With Chris Vedelago
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