Wyndham Vale shooting victims not planned targets of attack, police say
Two men killed in a driveway attack in Wyndham Vale were victims of mistaken identity, police say, as they release footage of the moments before the ambush.
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Two victims of a gang-related double homicide in Wyndham Vale were the victim of mistaken identity, top homicide investigators say.
It comes as police released footage of three vehicles they believe may be linked to the killing in a Wyndham Vale garage.
Atem Atem, 29, and Ayuel Akuei, 22, were killed in the garage of a Carmichael Drive home on February 11, while a Wyndham Vale man, 23, was critically injured.
A pet dog was also shot in the deadly confrontation.
Investigators working the case now believe those killed and injured were likely not the planned targets of the attack, as they were not gang members or only had very loose links.
Three months after the brazen ambush, homicide squad detectives are yet to lay charges.
The CCTV shows three cars stopping on a nearby Wyndham Vale street moments before the dispute escalated.
Several people are seen getting out of the vehicles and have a discussion on the street, before driving off.
“Detectives are keen to speak to anyone who recognises these vehicles or the people travelling in them,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
The convoy pulled up outside the home about 2.45am before several males got out of the cars and approached five males in the garage.
It’s believed the group of three vehicles in convoy pulled up outside the Carmichael Drive address about 2.45am, then a number of males got out of the cars and approached five males who were in the garage.
After a short verbal altercation, a number of shots were discharged and the victims were further assaulted with knives.
The assailants then fled the scene.
“Detectives believe that this was a deliberate attack on this address and are continuing to treat it as gang-related,” the police spokeswoman said.
“Police have spoken with a large number of people and also reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage in an attempt to determine what the motive was for the incident and identify those responsible.”
Detective Acting Inspector Nigel L’Estrange, of the Victoria Police homicide squad, said police were committed to finding those responsible.
“This was a deliberately violent attack that resulted in the loss of two lives, however it is likely only through sheer luck that more people weren’t killed or seriously injured,” Inspector L’Estrange said.
“We believe that the group is likely to have attended the address as the result of some kind of dispute between street gangs, however those who were killed and injured were either not gang members or had only very loose links.
“We’re hopeful that by releasing this footage today, it will lead to further avenues of inquiry for us or might prompt someone who knows something to come forward.
“This was an act of violence that was completely unnecessary and any indiscriminate use of firearms in this way is always immensely concerning for police.”
The investigation is ongoing.
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