Bassil Hijazi murder: Shot seven times in ‘retaliation attack’

IT WAS a feud which erupted at a 7-Eleven, escalated with a shooting at McDonalds and ended with the murder of a teenager in the car park near a Sydney gym. Now five years after the killing a court heard one of the arguments as to why.

Hijazi was shot dead as he sat in a blue Mitsibishi Lancer at Bexley. Picture: Bill Hearne

IT was a feud which erupted at a 7-Eleven, escalated with a shooting at McDonalds and ended with the murder of a teenager in the car park near a southern Sydney gym.

Bassil Hijazi, 18, died after he was gunned down behind Fusion gym at Bexley nearly five years ago but it was only yesterday a court heard one of the arguments as to why.

It is the prosecution case that Hijazi was shot seven times as he sat in a blue Mitsibishi Lancer in retaliation for a drive-by shooting a friend of his carried out.

Bassam Hijazi, 18, was gunned down in the car park behind Fusion gym at Bexley nearly five years.

Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson told a NSW Supreme Court jury that Hijazi was murdered just weeks after Joseph Gatt, 27, and his girlfriend were shot at as they sat inside a Toyota HiAce van parked at Lakemba McDonalds on June 12, 2013.

The court heard Gatt had been informed that the person who carried out the drive-by shooting was a close friend of Mr Hijazi.

“We say that gave rise to motive in the feud,” Mr Robertson.

He said Gatt — who had been involved in an altercation with Mr Hijazi in May — had fired the seven shots at Mr Hijazi about 9.30pm on July 29, 2013.

The court heard the Crown case will rely upon the evidence given by Gatt’s close friend and fellow drug dealer George Borg, who already been sentenced for his role in the murder.

“Mr Borg on our evidence did not fire a single shot,” Mr Robertson said.

A man is arrested in relation to the murder of Hijazi.

But Gatt’s defence barrister Phillip Boulten SC told the jury that he would argue it was Mr Borg who shot Mr Hijazi.

“I want to make it totally plain that the accused is not guilty of murder because he did not shoot the deceased and because he was not any part of any plan or agreement that the deceased be shot,” Mr Boulten said.

A court heard the murder was a retaliation attack for an earlier shooting. Picture: Bill Hearne

Mr Boulten said the “big issue” for the jury to decide was who fired the gun at Mr Hijazi.

“It is the accused’s case that he was not armed. That it was Mr Borg who was armed. Mr Borg pulled out a gun and fired,” he said.

“There is a big issue in this case about who shot the deceased.”

The trial continues before Justice Monika Schmidt.