Two men charged over shooting of Melton churchgoer
Two men have been charged and are set to face court over an attack on an innocent man who was brutally shot in the head and face when leaving church in Melton in 2018.
Police & Courts
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Police have charged two men over the shooting of an innocent churchgoer in Melton in 2018.
A 31-year-old Hoppers Crossing man and a 33-year-old Manor Lakes man were arrested by Armed Crime Squad detectives on Friday morning.
They have been identified as Ben Hills and Jaye O’Connell.
The men have each been charged with nine offences, including intentionally causing serious injury in circumstances of gross violence, prohibited person possessing a firearm and committing an indictable crime while on bail.
The men will face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon.
Michael* was “millimetres” from death after being shot in the head and face after leaving church in Melton on November 30, 2018.
Armed Crime Squad Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said “there is no reason this man was the target of a shooting” and it was crucial those responsible were brought to justice.
Michael, aged 42 at the time, was driving two female friends home from church when a car began to stalk them about 12.30am.
The shooter fired multiple shots into Michael’s red sedan after he dropped off one of the women in Linlithgow Way.
One of the bullets struck him in the head.
The car, believed to be a white HSV club sport, followed Michael and his 21-year-old passenger to Centenary and Coburns roads, where Michael was again shot in the face.
CCTV images captured the blood-soaked man making a frantic mercy dash into a Caltex service station in Melton, where he got medical help.
His passenger dialled triple-0 and escaped physically unscathed.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 3 000 or crimestoppersvic.com.au
*Not his real name.