Man killed, two injured after shooting outside boxing tournament in Kensington
A nationwide manhunt is underway for three men after the fatal shooting outside a Kensington boxing night. The event was filled with people who had criminal histories, police describing it as a “melting pot” of “undesirables’’.
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Police have identified three suspects in a triple shooting outside a boxing match that left one man dead.
A nationwide hunt is under way to find brothers Abdullah El Nasher, 27, and Ali El Nasher, 28, of Brunswick, along with Mikhael Myko, 25, of Pascoe Vale.
A fourth man, whose identity is unknown, was seen fleeing in dashcam footage of the attack outside Melbourne Pavilion, in Racecourse Rd, Kensington, on Friday night.
Two of the men are known to police. The other is an associate.
Police confirmed none of the victims was armed.
Crime Command Detective Superintendent Pat Boyle said police had identified the three men involved in the shootings through extensive footage.
A 30-year-old Craigieburn man died outside the venue and a second man was wounded in the ambush.
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A third victim was then confronted by two of the offenders in the foyer, where he was shot.
The assailants kicked and punched the wounded man as he lay on the floor.
The two surviving men were a 34-year-old from Lalor, who remains in a critical condition, and a 32-year-old from Craigieburn, who is stable.
Supt Boyle said three raids had been conducted on properties since the shooting, but to no avail.
He said the boxing event was filled with people who had criminal histories, describing it as a “melting pot” of “undesirables’’.
The two groups, who were known to each other, were seated at tables close by before walking outside to “discuss matters”.
“Their tables were fairly close to each other and during the night they’ve decided to go outside and discuss matters … and then the shooting has taken place” Supt Boyle said.
“We’ve got a person inside the Pavilion as well who was shot after others outside. Two of these offenders we’ve identified have decided to kick and punch him as well.’’
Supt Boyle said the incident was targeted between parties known to each other.
“They are known to police, and their whereabouts aren’t known at the moment, obviously,’’ he said.
Earlier, a witness heard screams and swearing during a fight at a Kensington boxing tournament night, before gunshots erupted and left one man dead.
Chris Griffin, 18, was waiting tables at the venue when he witnessed a fight break out around 10pm.
“I saw a fight break out, then I saw a gunman with a gun holding a pistol,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“(There was) a bunch of screaming and stuff, swearing, there were 10 people pushing up against each other, then there were four or five shots.
“It was like bang, bang, bang, bang … a second between each one.
“There was a feeling of dread, panic when the gunshots went off. The feeling of, are we going to die?
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“We didn’t know if he was shooting at random people, your mind races.
“There was blood everywhere. I saw the (dead man’s) body on the ground.”
Mr Griffin said he frantically ran to hide as he thought it was a mass shooting.
“Everyone was extremely freaked out, everyone was hiding under the stoves, under the tables and crouching down,” he said.
Mr Griffin said he witnessed another injured male who had been shot in the leg.
MELBOURNE IDENTITIES ‘WELL-BEHAVED’
The sellout crowd of 650 people included high-profile underworld figures Mick Gatto and Toby Mitchell, along with members of the Haddara family, who were there to watch Waleed Haddara — one of the boxers competing on the night.
Gatto was seen leaving the venue shortly after 1.30am with a small group of people before getting into a waiting car.
Event promoter Brian Amatruda said all were well-behaved.
He said the presence of the Haddara family was authorised by officials from the Combat Sports Board, a state government body.
“(The family) sat at a table, they were well-behaved,” he said.
“They certainly weren’t involved in this incident. It’s a coincidence they were there, but they had nothing to do with it, 100 per cent. One of the boys was in the back room when it happened — it was impossible they could be involved in it.
“Toby (Mitchell) was well behaved. Same with Mick (Gatto). Mick certainly has nothing to do with these people. He’s there as a spectator. I don’t see a problem with that.”
Gatto arrived back at the scene hours later at 11am today, where he was dropped off at the police cordon, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and carrying a copy of the Herald Sun in a plastic bag.
He was picked up in a Mini Cooper by Mr Amatruda and was driven past the police tape down to the venue.
He then drove off in a silver and black Rolls Royce, stopping briefly to provide his details to police but declining to talk to media.
Three men were allowed in to collect their motorcycles and drove off past the police tape.
Mr Amatruda, who owns promotional company Big Time Boxing and promoted the event, said he was co-operating with police but details were “a bit sketchy” this morning.
“I must stress this incident started on the street, not in the venue,” he said. “The incident happened by the glass doors and (then they) ran into the foyer.
“In 15 years, we’ve never had an incident, not one. It’s quite unusual.
“It was just a normal event, most people inside were unaware there was an incident. It was calm inside.”
Mr Amatruda said it was a pre-ticketed event, with tickets mainly sold to corporate clients. Tickets to the sellout event cost as much as $550.
“I’m familiar with our clientele; I don’t know these people involved (in the shooting),” he said. “We don’t let the general public in, you can’t buy a ticket at the door.”
It was mostly corporate groups entertaining clients, he said.
“It’s the same people who usually buy it. The clientele are top tier companies,” Mr Amatruda said.
He said he had no idea who the victims or the shooters were.
Mr Amatruda said he took police advice once the shooting had occurred, proceeding with the main fight, which was yet to commence.
“It was the right thing to do, we followed the advice of police,” he said.
“We’ll of course debrief and speak to police to get some guidance. Whatever measures they suggest, we will do.
“I obviously feel for the people involved.”
FATAL SHOOTING ‘TARGETED’ ATTACK: POLICE
Homicide Squad Detective Sergeant Sol Solomon said police believe it was a “targeted” attack.
One victim was shot inside the foyer and it was unclear yet where the third victim was when he was shot.
He said police were hunting two male shooters, who fled the venue on foot. All three victims were “known to police”, he said.
He said police were probing whether there was an argument in the lead-up to the shooting.
It was too early to comment whether it was gang-related or linked to outlaw bikies, he said.
“We have not identified those responsible for the shooting, we have not identified a motive for the shooting,” he said.
“However, the information we have gleaned so far makes us confident this was a targeted attack and that there are no further risks to members of the public.”
Detectives and forensic police continued to collect bags of evidence from inside the Melbourne Pavilion this morning as Stubbs St remains blocked between Racecourse Rd and Parsons St.
CCTV footage will be key to tracking down those responsible as investigations continue.
Sgt Solomon said a couple of vehicles parked in the street were struck by bullets.
Multiple vehicle owners have been blocked by crime scene tape from retrieving their cars this morning and business owners have been told they can’t get through.
WITNESSES DIVED FOR THEIR LIVES
A large crowd was at the venue to see a seven-bout card headlined by the WBA Oceania cruiserweight title fight between Kane Watts and Jayden “Plugger” Joseph.
Witness Ben Brizzi was sitting on a table 30m away from the main boxing ring when he heard a commotion.
“I heard a few pop, pop, pops,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun. “People were running everywhere, it was a bit of a shock.”
Mr Brizzi said the gunshots happened between fights.
“We dived under the table, we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “We thought it was someone trying to come in shooting everyone.
“When we realised it was over, I sat up, there was a bit of confusion. We couldn’t get out for a while, police had closed the front door.
“I know my wife was very frightened, for a minute I thought, oh gee what was going on. You hope it wasn’t a terrorist thing.
“It was a pity because it was a good night. It’s a real friendly atmosphere. It’s a pity.”
Mr Brizzi said police kept all patrons at the venue locked in for a while before taking their details and letting them leave.
Sgt Solomon described it as an “extremely disturbing incident to take place at a well-organised and well-managed boxing event”.
A body could be seen lying on the pavement outside the venue.
One man said he left the event and could see a man “just lying there, just dead”.
Crowds continued to pour out of the venue after midnight and police were interviewing several witnesses.
The area was placed into lockdown, with roads blocked and trams stopped.
One witness said he heard three shots fired and then the whole crowd started to move.
“It was in the foyer,” he told the Herald Sun. He said the atmosphere before the shooting was full of excitement and there was no violence outside the ring.
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Another man said there were a lot of “figureheads” at the event. He said he heard two shots and then everyone ducked for cover.
“The kid behind me, I heard him speaking in Arabic to one of his family members, and he reckons he was next to the guy who got shot,” he said.
“You could see he was pretty shaken up.”
The man said organisers were trying to keep patrons in their seats after the incident, but many were trying to leave after hearing the shots.
Police are speaking to several patrons who were at the venue and want anyone with footage to upload it to the Victoria Police website.