Witnesses to Jason De Ieso shooting tells court of surviving ambush

Witnesses have described the moment armed men stormed a Pooraka car workshop and shot dead Jason De Ieso, saying they are “amazed” they survived the hail of bullets.

A man visiting the Pooraka workshop of alleged murder victim Jason De Ieso said he was “amazed” he was still alive after being confronted by gunfire.

The man, who had been in the workshop office visiting Mr De Ieso, told the jury he saw the group of men approach the workshop about lunch time on November 12, 2012, on a CCTV monitor and “it just didn’t look right”.

“I was confronted by firearms shooting at us,” he said. “It felt like at me first, because I was the first one who walked out the door.”

He said he ran across the workshop and tried to hide.

“I was actually amazed I was still alive, he said. “I nearly got murdered. I didn’t know Jason had been shot, I didn’t know who had been shot, if anyone had been shot. I was making sure I wasn’t shot, so I hid.”

A CCTV screenshot shows suspects walking into the Pooraka workshop just before the 2021 shooting. Picture: SAPOL

He said the incident was “full on” and over in “seconds, a blink”.

Murder victim Jason De Ieso.

“That day was a lot of anxiety, panic and there was a lot of pressure going on.”

He said Mr De Ieso at the time had “one of the best workshops in Adelaide”.

“If you wanted a good job, that’s where you went,” he said.

Another man also in the workshop at the time Mr De Ieso was shot said he didn’t see the men approach but was alerted to their presence when another man’s face “just went white”.

The witness said bullets began ricocheting off the nearby staircase.

“We went against the wall because we just didn’t know what was happening,” he told the court.

The man said he also saw another man running across the workshop “yelling ‘hide’ or ‘gun’ or something”, with Mr De Ieso on his tail.

“ (Mr De Ieso) just ran a couple of metres behind … he fell to the ground with blood coming out of his head.

“It really was chaos, there was just so much happening,” he said. “It felt like eternity but it was probably just a few seconds.”

He said the men then rang for help and used rags to try to stop Mr De Ieso’s bleeding.

Eight men, who are all alleged to be Hells Angels members or close associates, are standing trial charged with Mr De Ieso’s murder.

De Ieso trial: See the crime-scene photos

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They are: Husain Alzuain, 35, of Goodwood, Mohamed Alzuain, 31, of Mile End, Musa Ali Alzuain, 30, of St Morris, Daniel Mark Jalleh, 34, of Clovelly Park, Ross William Montgomery, 38, of Andrews Farm, Seywan Moradi, 36, of Walkley Heights, Kyle Lloyd Pryde, 34, of Adelaide and Nicholas Sianis, 36, of Beverley.

Each of the men has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder.

Prosecutors have alleged the shooting occurred amid an escalating bikie feud between rival gangs the Hells Angels and Finks.

Opening the trial last week, Jim Pearce KC, prosecuting, said a firebombing at the Alzuain family home the night before Mr De Ieso was shot had damaged “the pride of the Hells Angels north crew and the pride of the Alzuains”. He said the retribution that followed “would be swift”.

Also on Thursday, the jury heard from MFS firefighter Mark Sutton who attended the scene of the firebombing the night before.

Mr Sutton told the court when he arrived on scene it appeared a molotov cocktail had been thrown in the home’s front entrance.

He said the majority of the fire had gone out by the time fire crews had arrived and estimated the damage bill to be about $1000.

Then-neighbours of the home also told the jury of hearing an “almighty bang” and a car “screeching” away from the scene “very fast”.

One neighbour also described seeing young men they knew lived at the home pushing past police to get inside.

“It got a little bit heated,” the neighbour said.

The trial, before a jury of 15, is continuing.

Originally published as Witnesses to Jason De Ieso shooting tells court of surviving ambush