Earlwood shooting: Crime kingpin Pasquale Barbaro slain ‘execution-style’ in south west Sydney

EXCLUSIVE: Police say any number of people wanted Sydney crime kingpin Pasquale Barbaro dead after he was executed in Sydney’s west last night. His heavily tattooed, shaven-headed body was found bloodied, laying facedown on the footpath, inset.

• Blood-soaked dynasty: Barbaro family’s deadly links to mafia
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• Pasquale Barbaro: Sydney figure evaded hitman execution

SYDNEY crime kingpin Pasquale Barbaro, who was shot dead execution-style in Sydney’s west last night, could have been targeted by any number of people, a police source says.

“If you play with fire you were going to get burnt. It could be anything, it could be drugs it could be over sleeping with someone’s missus - you never know with these guys,” the source said.

Barbaro, whose grandfather and cousin were both killed in gangland hits, was shot in the head in Larkhall St, Earlwood about 9.45pm.

The 35-year-old, whose family is linked to the Italian mafia, was gunned down outside the house of construction industry figure George Alex.

Pasquale Barbaro enters court at the Downing Centre in Sydney in 2013.

A Mercedes, believed to be Barbaro’s, sits with the door still open. Picture: Bill Hearne

He was due to appear before the District Court on December 6 on methamphetamine manufacturing charges.

Detectives returned to the street this afternoon, interviewing neighbours for any clue to lead them to a killer.

They did not go into the home of Mr Alex where there was no sign of the controversial identity today.

Barbaro had previously escaped an attempt on his life in Leichhardt in 2015. Hitman Hamad Assaad, who himself was shot dead just weeks ago at his home in Georges Hall, was suspected of carrying out the shooting.

Police from the NSW Public Order and Riot squad arrive at the scene. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

His heavily tattooed, shaven headed body was found bloodied, laying facedown on the footpath outside a Larkhall St house.

Police have returned to the scene this morning and are preparing to do a line search of the street to collect evidence in the hit.

Police scour the street for evidence this morning. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Police have closed the street again as they search for evidence. Picture: Dylan Robinson

A neighbour said she believed Barbaro was shot inside his car and then stumbled onto the footpath where he died.

Gabrielle Binton was eating dinner with her husband when the shooting took place.

“We heard gunshots but I wasn’t sure what it was,” she told The Daily Telegraph.

“(My husband) knew so he ran out the back and said he saw another two guys, and they shot him in the car, another four gunshots

“And a couple of minutes later there was someone screaming so we went outside.”

“We heard this guy screaming open the f**king door.”

Mrs Binton said the victim had been coming in and out of the “funny’ house throughout the day.

“At the house I find that there are funny people, too many families live there,” she said.

Shattered glass on the car believed to be Barbaro’s. Picture: Bill Hearne

Forensic officers examine the scene. Pictures: Bill Hearne

Another neighbour told reporters they heard the shooting, but didn’t see what happened.

“I just heard what sounded like I thought was somebody banging something next door but it was five gunshots, it sounded to me like five gunshots,” one said.

“I didn’t hear anything, didn’t see anything other than hearing those five, sound like five shots.”

A car believed to have been used in the execution is found burnt out in Concord. Picture: Bill Hearne

An Audi Q7 four-wheel-drive, suspected of being involved in the shooting, was found burnt out at Goddard Park, Concord, half an hour after the shooting.

Emergency services found the gutted vehicle after reports of a fire.

The fire was extinguished by NSW Fire and Rescue crews and a separate crime scene has been established.

Hitman Hamad Assaad was gunned down in the driveway of his Georges Hall home

A police source said a number of people could have wanted Barbaro dead.

Despite being on bail for commercial drug supply charges it is understood Barbara had remained active with his criminal enterprises.

“He was still pretty active around the city and wasn’t keeping his head down. It speaks to the arrogance of these guys,” the source said.

Barbaro was also known as a gym junkie who liked to throw his weight around the gym.

One man said he had a recent run in with Barbaro who bullied him off a machine.

Sydney’s gangland murders.

The man decided to avoid Barbaro after recognising him in recent media reports

Gun crime in Sydney’s west has escalated in the past eight months, with the body count growing.

The latest targeted shooting comes just weeks after the execution of notorious young hit man Hamad Assaad.

He was gunned down in broad daylight by two assailants in the driveway of his Georges Hall home as he went to take his 12-year-old nephew to school.

Police believe Assaad’s murder may have been a retaliation hit for the daylight execution of major underworld player Walid ‘Wally’ Ahmad.

Grandfather Peter Pasquale Barbaro was killed in 1990 in Queensland.

Pasquale’s cousin Pat Barbaro was shot dead in carpark in Melbourne.

Ahmad was also killed in broad daylight, at the Bankstown Centro shopping centre in April.

It was the shooting death of Safwan Chabaji outside Ahmad’s Condell Park smash repair business just three weeks earlier that is believed to have brought about Ahmad’s premature death.

Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad police have been on high alert with rumours throughout the underworld of more planned hits.

Bounties on the heads of the big players are rumoured to fetching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The police have been working overtime on patrols.

Walid ‘Wally’ Ahmad was murdered in a hit at Bankstown Centro.

Barbaro’s grandfather, also named Pasquale, was shot dead in a gangland hit in Brisbane in 1990.

The 58-year-old had been the boss of the Calabrian mafia’s Canberra cell before he fell out with the group and fled.

Fearing for his life he became an informant for the National Crime Authority - now the Australian Crime Commission.

Barbaro Snr survived an attempt on his life at another address in Brisbane the year before his death.

In 2003, Barbaro’s cousin Pat (whose full name was also Pasquale Barbaro) was gunned down in Melbourne at the height of that city’s gangland wars.

The main target in that hit was infamous underworld figure Jason Moran.

Another cousin, again called Pasquale, was involved in the world’s biggest ecstasy bust in Melbourne when 4.4 tonnes of the drug were seized.

Anyone with further information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Earlwood shooting: Crime kingpin Pasquale Barbaro slain ‘execution-style’ in south west Sydney