Friends pay tribute to Springvale shooting victim as man charged
Friends have taken to social media to mourn a 20-year-old shot dead on a Springvale Rd shopping strip, the fifth person shot dead in Melbourne in 10 days. A teen - known to the victim - is due to face court tomorrow.
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A man killed in Springvale was the fifth person to be shot dead in Melbourne in 10 days.
Less than 12 hours after Winis Apet died from a single gunshot wound next to an abandoned supermarket, police arrested and charged his alleged attacker, 19-year-old Paguir Pan at a home in Dandenong.
Police believed Mr Apet and the gunman were known to each other.
ORGANISED CRIME LINKS TO SHOOTING MURDERS
Childhood friend Seren Ozerkan told the Herald Sun that Winis was “always full of life and always bubbly.”
“He didn’t deserve this,” she said.
Friends have also taken to social media to pay their respects, mourning a young life cut short.
Tabitha Deng Gal wrote that “God has gained another angel”.
In a social media post, Subuot Latita wrote: “Rest easy man, love you.”
He was shot dead along a strip of shops on Springvale Rd, about 11.50pm on Sunday, and the attacker allegedly fled.
Mr Pan did not appear in court on Monday with his lawyer saying it was “due to how he is feeling”.
Defence lawyer Katie Powell told the court that the accused was suffering from non-specific medical issues, and requested that he be seen by a doctor.
Mr Pan has been remanded without bail and will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court again on Wednesday.
The shooting marked an escalation in the city’s gun violence crisis, with Mr Apet becoming the fifth man to die from gunshot wounds in Melbourne this month.
However, investigators ruled out any link to earlier fatal shootings in Kensington, Meadow Heights and Dandenong.
On March 1, labourer Ben Togiai was shot dead at a Melbourne Pavilion boxing event in Kensington, while two other men suffered gunshot wounds in the same attack.
NSW police arrested Mikhael Myko, 25, and Abdullah El Nasher, 27, in Bankstown on Friday, while the latter’s older brother Ali El Nasher, 28, was still at large.
On March 3, Mitat Rasimi was ambushed in Dandenong during a roadside meeting.
The former associate of drug lord Tony Mokbel tried to flee after he was repeatedly shot, but ploughed his car into a tree.
The next day, on March 4, Deniz Hasan, 40, and Ali Ali, 28, died from gunshot wounds in Meadow Heights.
MEADOW HEIGHTS: TWO MEN SHOT DEAD
Police Minister Lisa Neville said she wanted to “assure the community that police are taking it extremely seriously and that these are not related shootings, according to the investigation that police have undertaken”.
“They are people known to each other so often related to issues around drugs and other issues among certain groups in our community,” she said.
“These are people who are accessing illegal guns, undertaking illegal activities and are very much part of the sort of organised crime, bikie gang.
“That’s why there is an armed crime squad and a gang squad that is specifically focused on responding to these shootings and responding to illegal firearms in our community.”
Ms Neville said new prohibition orders had given police the power to strip “people who should not have guns” of their firearms, ammunition, drugs and cash.
About 145 orders have already been issued.
Ms Neville said national Border Force authorities were also working with state police to stop the illegal gun importation.
“Border Force, Victoria Police and other police forces across the country are working hand-in-hand on this,” she said.
“We know that a lot of guns are coming from overseas illegally and we have got to try to stop them at our national borders.
“If they make it in here then Victoria Police now have those additional powers to do warrantless searches of people who have been identified as those who should never hold a gun — people in organised crime, bikie gangs, for example.”
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said he feared an innocent Victorian could be caught in the crossfire.
“We don’t want to see innocent bystanders caught up in the crossfire of this kind of gang-style attack on our streets,” he said.
“This is not some kind of television, movie series — this is real life, real people and certainly their lives at stake when we see these shootings on our streets.
“Five (shooting deaths) in 10 days, enough is enough.”
Asked directly if Victoria should consider a gun amnesty, Mr Southwick said: “we would be prepared to look at anything we could possibly can to reduce this crime”.
Anyone with information on the latest shooting in Springvale is urged to contact Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppersvic.com.au.