Brian Laidlaw shot dead by Audi driver in Fitzroy
A 21-year-old woman has fronted court charged over the murder of a man in Fitzroy – but her identity has been suppressed.
Victoria
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A woman charged alongside a man over the murder of a father shot dead in Fitzroy has fought to have her identity suppressed.
The 21-year-old Yarraville woman fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday where her lawyer, Ayla Dodson, successfully asked for a suppression order on her client’s name.
She said the woman was withdrawing from drugs and suffered mental health issues.
Ms Dodson said it was unclear what police allege her client’s involvement was, but knew she had not been accused of pulling the trigger.
“She was not in a position to be interviewed due to the nature of her withdrawal issues,” Dodson told the court.
The woman was arrested in Noble Park on Wednesday alongside Duc Nguyen, 43, by homicide detectives.
They are each charged with murdering Brian Laidlaw, 54, who was shot and killed near Brunswick St about 4pm on Tuesday.
Magistrate Graham Keil rejected a request by the prosecution to have 18 weeks to prepare the hand up brief – 12 weeks more than the usual six weeks allocated.
“I’m sympathetic because I do not want people to be lingering in jail,” Mr Keil said.
He instead gave them 10 weeks to analyse CCTV, audio recordings and DNA and ballistic evidence.
Neither of the accused applied for bail, with their cases adjourned to November 4.
Charges laid over shooting
Police have charged two people with murder over a shooting that left 54-year-old father Brian Laidlaw dead in Fitzroy.
A 43-year-old Doveton man and a 21-year-old Yarraville woman were picked up by homicide squad detectives in Noble Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Laidlaw was shot and killed in a car park near Brunswick St about 4pm on Tuesday.
It is understood Mr Laidlaw left his nearby flat to meet with two men in a parked car in Fitzroy.
A Victoria Police statement said the man was involved in an altercation with a number of people at a parked vehicle before being shot.
Mr Laidlaw then left the dark coloured Audi, but was shot in the back.
Witnesses in Fitzroy later described the confronting scene to 7 NEWS.
“I saw them working on the man in the ambulance for quite a while, it was pretty horrible,” one witness said.
“There were about three ambulances going down the street and then cop cars all over the place,” another added.
Tributes have flown in online from family members in the wake of his brutal murder.
“Love you brother,” Elaine Woodcock said.
“You were one of the most loyal friends I’ve had,” Trent Johnson said.
“We believe two persons were in that vehicle, and it would appear that the deceased male appears to have known the occupants of the vehicle,” Serious Crime Division Superintendent Paul O’Halloran said.
It is the 17th shooting this year and the second in a matter of days, but police said the incident is not believed to be linked to any outlaw motorcycle gangs or Middle East organised gangs.
The duo will face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Police are appealing for witnesses or have CCTV footage of the incident to contact crime stoppers.
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