Shooting at shopping centre in Sydney’s southwest
MOMENTS before shots rang out at a Bankstown shopping centre yesterday morning, a man and a woman rushed into a shop screaming for help.
- Shooting was ‘clearly targeted’
- Victim’s niece received panicked call saying ‘he’s dead’
- Shooters still at large
- Victim was a known standover man
MOMENTS before shots rang out at a Bankstown shopping centre this morning, a man rushed into a shop inside screaming, “There’s not enough f***ing time”.
Standover man and convicted killer Walid “Wally” Ahmad was shot dead and two others were injured at the centre when an unknown person opened fire inside Bankstown Central, in Sydney’s southwest, just before noon.
Police are now hunting two people over the attack, a man who opened fire and another who drove a getaway car.
A 31-year-old woman, who was an innocent bystander, is recovering in hospital as is a man, 53, who was working as Ahmad’s bodyguard.
A woman working in a cosmetics store inside the centre told news.com.au that a man and a woman rushed into the shop moments before the shooting.
“Where’s store security? Where’s store security? Can you call them?” the distressed woman said.
She banged her hand on the counter, saying “call them, call them!”
But the man said: “There’s not enough f***ing time.”
The pair then ran towards an escalator, which leads to the third-level gym, cafe and carpark, where the shooting occurred.
It is not known who the people were or if they were hurt in the shooting.
‘IT’S CLEARLY TARGETED’
Bankstown police commander Detective Superintendent David Eardley confirmed a 40-year-old man is dead and two others were injured in the shooting.
Police believe the gunman did not act alone and a burnt-out white Mercedes connected to the crime has been found in Greenacre.
While police have not confirmed the identity of the victim, he said police would also be looking at the connection with another shooting at Condell Park earlier this month.
“It’s clearly targeted; this is not a random shooting,” Det Supt Eardley said.
“People need to understand and feel safe to go about the streets and their daily lives.”
He also urged those connected to the crime not to take matters into their own hands.
“Leave it to us to investigate … there is no need to resort to any activity that would jeopardise themselves or others.”
The first pictures of the getaway car used in a shooting in Bankstown @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/twwFZP6jPk
— Peter Fegan (@PeterFegan7) April 29, 2016
‘COME GET ME! HE’S DEAD!’
The niece of the victim Walid “Wally” Ahmad told news.com.au: “It’s my uncle. He’s the victim.”
The woman was at a family gathering at a home nearby when she received a phone call that her uncle had been shot.
She said she received a panicked call from Ahmad’s daughter, her cousin, as she raced to the Bankstown Central shopping centre.
“She said, ‘Come get me! He’s dead! He’s dead!’” the shocked niece told news.com.au
“I need to get to her. She’s all by herself, she’s alone.”
When asked who may have targeted Ahmad, the niece said: “I don’t know. The most important thing is finding my cousin.”
Later, news.com.au witnessed the niece and the daughter hug as they were reunited.
The shopping centre’s management ushered family members to a nearby coffee house, where more than a dozen police officers were gathered.
An elderly woman, believed to be the mother of the victim, was seen slumped in a wheelchair, quivering, with her hands covering her face.
The family were agitated as they left the area, demanding that no pictures be taken.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY?
Today's shooting took place at a major shopping centre, formerly known as Bankstown Centro, on the corner of Stacey St and Rickard Rd, in Sydney’s southwest.
Witnesses told news.com.au that the shooting happened in the centre carpark outside Michael’s Coffee House, near Crunch Fitness gym and Rebel Sports store.
People who parked close to the scene have been told by police they could not move their cars, and some have resorted to taking the bus home.
Early reports said a man aged about 40 went into cardiac arrest. The body is believed to still be at the scene.
It is understood two people have been detained at the scene, including an unidentified, handcuffed man pictured. Police told news.com.au that nobody had been formally arrested.
A Bankstown resident working at the shopping centre, who asked not to be named, told AAP that “police arrested the wrong people to start with”.
He said a Mercedes was stopped and searched by police on the corner of Jacobs St and Rickard Rd, but police failed to find a weapon.
“It happened in front of us,” he said. “They handcuffed the wrong person.” He said police found the right car, a black four-wheel drive, at the rooftop car park near the gym.
Police have warned drivers to avoid the area around the centre because of traffic delays.
A shopper told the Sunshine Coast Daily that he didn’t realise what was going on until he saw security guards running up the escalators.
“There were a couple of screams and you just wondered if they were kids or something,” Mr Davis said. “It was surreal really.”
STANDOVER MAN
The victim is a known standover man with a previous manslaughter conviction.
It is believed Ahmad is connected to a fatal shooting at smash repair business, A Team Smash Repair, where one man, Safwan Chabaji , was shot dead in April in Condell Park.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that he has been on the run since the fatal shooting.
Mr Ahmad was previously convicted of the 2002 killing of Mayez Dany in Greenacre.
Officers were called to the shopping centre about 11.50am after reports of a shooting. There were unconfirmed reports of eight shots being fired in the carpark.
A witness having coffee outside a nearby cafe said she heard the commotion and everybody got up and started walking away.
A Channel 7 video shows one of the victims being asked whether he was OK as he was being wheeled away on a stretcher.
When asked what happened, the victim said: “Firework”.
The previous shooting at the smash repair business left one man, Safwan Charbaji, 32, dead with gunshot wound to the chest. Another, Abdullah El Masri, 35, was left in a critical condition after being shot in the face. He remains in an induced coma.
The shooting happened on the afternoon of April 9 in Condell Park, a suburb of Bankstown.
Witnesses reported hearing an argument before a number of shots were fired.
At the time, authorities said the men were known to police.
“We believe that the people did know each other,” a police spokesman told media on Saturday, adding that it was unclear whether the men were shot by a third party.
“It’s quite possible that a meeting has taken place.”
A local shop worker told news.com.au Ahmad was one of her “favourite customers.”
“When I had first met Walid he had recently been out of jail,” she said.
“But he was always a sweet man, had brought in his little girl and his wife a few times.
“Could never say no to the lollies she’d want to buy.
“Anyway I understand people are different, but I only had an employee-customer relationship with him.
“I’m sure his wife is very heartbroken though.”
At least six ambulances and a dozen police cars were at the scene and television footage showed paramedics putting a man on a stretcher.
Police said they arrived to find two men and a woman injured; one of the men died at the scene.
A crime scene has been established, which will be examined by detectives and forensic specialists.
The shopping centre car park has been closed as a precaution.
Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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