Latest underworld shooting victim Vailena Koloamatangi, 27, had been shot before
A man shot in the head and chest at Campsie on Tuesday night had previously been shot sitting in a car with a sworn enemy of the Hamzy clan.
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A man shot in the head and chest at Campsie on Tuesday night had previously been shot sitting in a car with a sworn enemy of the Hamzy clan.
Vailena Koloamatangi, 27, was on Wednesday fighting for life in hospital after at least one gunman opened fire on him and Ahmad Ezai, in the underground carpark of an apartment block on Canterbury Rd about 9.20pm.
Three burnt out stolen cars, including a Mercedes, were found on fire in the nearby suburbs of Kingsgrove, Berala and Birrong a short time later.
Police sources said Mr Ezai managed to run from the car as the shots began to ring out and luckily avoided injury.
Koloamatangi remains in St George Hospital, with detectives waiting for his condition to improve so he can be interviewed.
Underworld sources told The Daily Telegraph that Koloamatangi had previously been shot in 2020 while sitting in a Toyota Camry with an old school friend.
It was almost a case of deja vu on Tuesday night, as gunmen again opening fire on Koloamatangi three years on as he sat inside a silver Toyota hatchback, with NSW Police Crime Manager Claudia Allcroft saying he was lucky to be alive.
“Regardless of who the victim is, these public acts of violence are unacceptable,” Detective Inspector Allcroft said.
“I’d like to let the community know that police will continue to target anyone who shows a blatant disregard for community safety.”
Police sources said they are investigating links between this week’s shooting and the earlier failed assassination attempt on Koloamatangi.
In that earlier incident Koloamatangi and Hasan Goktas were sitting in a car when two men came up to the car and opened fire, wounding both men.
Goktas was previously targeted in 2012, when he was shot in the stomach in what police believed was part of an ongoing feud between his family and that of Bassam Hamzy, founder of the Brothers for Life gang.
Koloamatangi attended Granville Boys High School, where relatives of both Goktas and the Hamzys went.
The Daily Telegraph does not suggest Goktas, Ezai or Koloamatangi are involved in underworld activities.
Sources said Koloamatangi was taken to hospital in serious condition and was expected to survive Tuesday’s shooting.
A resident of the apartment complex where Koloamatangi was shot said he was watching a movie with his partner when he heard a loud bang from the underground car park.
“I heard a bang but my missus said she heard three,” the resident said.
“It was a different sound, a basement noise. I didn’t think it would be a shooting.”
The man said police blocked entrances to his building’s B2 and B1 underground carparks, where blood was scattered.
“I think it happened on B1. There was blood there last night.
“It’s normal these days (shootings) but I didn’t think it would happen there, it’s weird.”
Residents surrounding the Canterbury Rd apartment complex said they didn’t hear any shots fired but were alerted to the shooting when more than 10 emergency service attended the scene.
Neighbour Rashmi Khardka said she was concerned for the safety of her daughter living in the suburb after she found out about the incident.
“This area needs a lot more surveillance,” Ms Khardka said. “It’s definitely very scary. It gets very dark at night.”
Another neighbour said he had returned home from work to find police cars parked outside his driveway.
Police remained at the Canterbury Rd crime scene on Wednesday.
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