Man charged with murder over shooting as drug dealer mates vow revenge
CCTV footage and phone records will be scoured after a shock Geelong execution, with the accused killer identified on Monday.
Police & Courts
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A man accused of shooting a Geelong drug dealer dead over the weekend has been remanded in custody.
Norlane grandfather Daniel Eagle, 43, was killed in a shooting on Saturday morning along the Princes Highway, Corio.
He was dubbed a “snitch”, prompting fears his death was retaliatory.
Homicide squad detectives charged Corio man Joshua Rozynski, 26, with one count of murder on Sunday evening.
A second man — a 25-year-old also from Corio — was released pending further inquiries. Court documents allege the pair was known to each other.
Mr Rozynski did not appear in court or make an application for bail.
The court heard prosecutors would spend coming weeks wading through a “large amount” of CCTV footage, phone records and forensic evidence.
The matter was listed for a committal mention in August.
Posts left on Mr Eagle’s social media accounts in the aftermath have prompted fears of a tit-for-tat feud between warring parties.
One acquaintance wrote: “Karma is always a bitch. Who is a dumb dead c*** now. Great news snitch.”
Notes promising retribution were left at a makeshift memorial site in Norlane outside Eagle’s home.
“To the dogs who did this, your (sic) f***in’ dead,” one note read. “Swear you’ll see.”
Another read: “Brother$$ for life. 3214 boys.”
But those who loved the heavily tattooed man paid tribute to him.
Long-time friend Shona Porter said she was stunned to learn Mr Eagle had died.
“I am so lost for words I can’t believe it’s true,” she posted online.
“Daniel Eagle we hav (sic) been friends from the age of 14 … hav (sic) so many good memories I just can’t believe ur (sic) gone”.
Another friend, Shayne Tehan, said Mr Eagle would never be forgotten.
“Shattered to learn today I lost someone like a brother to me,” he wrote.
“You always had my back and I always had yours regardless of the situation.
“I’m going to miss you bro you were a one of a kind.”
A woman named Jacinta wrote: “Still can’t believe it is true, you will be missed by many.”
She said she saw the man on Friday night, just hours before he was killed.
Mr Eagle was a convicted drug dealer but also had an upcoming appearance listed at Geelong Magistrates’ Court after being charged by Victoria Police’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigations Team.
Sources said the shooting unfolded after Mr Eagle and his two associates allegedly were involved in a confrontation about 5.30am on Saturday.
The men allegedly fired a shot at the Takoma Court property before fleeing the scene.
Mr Eagle and two other men, aged 28 and 27, fled the scene and were pursued through the streets of Corio before crashing into a wooden post and a delivery truck as they darted into a Princes Highway service road.
The men in pursuit allegedly stopped at the scene before at least two gun shots were fired into the car, killing Mr Eagle.
Police described the gunmen as “very dangerous”.
Homicide squad detective Sergeant Sol Solomon said the scene would have been a “shocking experience” for residents. “There will no doubt be some trauma associated with what they’ve seen.”
WITNESSES HEARD SCREAMS IN SHOOTING CHAOS
Corio resident Cassy, 30, said she woke to the sound of two gunshots right outside her home, which faces the crash site on Princes Highway. “I heard a gunshot and then some screaming, telling people to get back in a car,” she said.
“In the midst of that there was a big crash, which I would assume was this car kind of trying to get away and then was hit head-on by a truck.
“There was another gunshot in the middle of all of that.”
The mum of two said she immediately feared for her kids’ safety as they slept through the ordeal.
“My husband wouldn’t allow my other kids to come out of the house,” she said. “It’s quite terrifying.”
“It didn’t register that it was a gunshot. It just didn’t cross my mind. But as soon as I got up and my husband confirmed it, we were freaking out.”
Corio resident Michael Lefevere, 37, said he saw a swarm of police with guns running towards the road in an attempt to find the shooters.
“I just walked down Ontario Ave … and there were police at the side of the street walking around with AK-47-looking guns,” he said.
“We went out and then I heard the police yell, ‘don’t move’.”
Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report online at crimestoppersvic.com.au
— Additional reporting: Jessica Coates, Olivia Jenkins, Anthony Dowsley and Evin Priest
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