By Cameron Houston, Angus Delaney and Marta Pascual Juanola
A prominent gangland figure and former outlaw motorcycle gang member has been murdered in a brutal ambush in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Hawre Sherwani died in hospital after he was shot in Caroline Springs about 10.30pm on Thursday.
Closed-circuit video footage obtained by this masthead reveals Sherwani frantically knocking on the door of a house in Heysen Park Way, before slumping to the ground and appearing to lose consciousness.
Homicide Squad detectives have launched a major manhunt for his killers; however, the list of suspects will be extensive given the former Comancheros member’s previous involvement in drug trafficking, extortion and weapons offences.
Police on Friday at the scene of the shooting in Caroline Springs.Credit: Paul Jeffers
Sherwani survived a failed murder plot less than a year ago, when two men wearing balaclavas blasted more than 20 shots from an Audi S3 as the 33-year-old walked his dog in a Fraser Rise park.
However, he was unable to escape another volley of gunfire on Thursday evening, in what police have described as a “very targeted attack”.
On Friday morning, homicide detectives examined a handgun and numerous bullet casings scattered across the quiet street, near Sherwani’s abandoned car. A car linked to the killing was found torched in nearby Fraser Rise about 10.45am.
The remains of a car linked to the fatal shooting in Caroline Springs in nearby Beattys Road, Fraser Rise.
Detective Superintendent Janet Stevenson said police were still in the early stages of their investigation but confirmed they had already begun examining incidents from Sherwani’s criminal past, including the previous attempt on his life.
A police officer on Friday morning at the scene of the shooting.Credit: Paul Jeffers
Stevenson warned a retaliation attack was of significant concern, given Sherwani’s extensive links to organised crime.
“We know is that this is a targeted attack. There is nothing for the local residents to fear. It is absolutely targeted,” Stevenson said.
Harwe Sherwani lies injured in a doorway in Caroline Springs after trying to get help. He later died in hospital. Credit: Nine News
An offender hurt in a collision following the attack might have sustained potentially life-threatening injuries, police said.
Earlier on Friday, police said they believed the person was injured while fleeing the scene and suffered serious injuries.
“Those injuries are believed to be as a result of a collision and we are keen to speak to anyone who may have treated the man or is aware of someone seeking treatment for these injuries,” police said in a statement.
One neighbour, who didn’t want to be identified because of safety concerns, told this masthead they heard several gunshots on Thursday night. Another resident said they had arrived home shortly after the shooting and saw about 10 police cars in the street.
Sherwani was born in northern Iraq and came to Australia as a refugee when he was nine years old. He soon became entangled in Melbourne’s underworld and developed a propensity for extreme violence.
In 2014, he was sentenced to serve a minimum of four years in jail over a gang-related assault on a former Comancheros member at a smash repairs business in Collingwood. The entire attack was captured on CCTV.
Court documents detail how Sherwani and an associate repeatedly punched and kicked the victim in the body and head as he lay on the ground, breaking both the victim’s arms and leaving him with multiple facial injuries.
A gun and bullet casings on the ground in Heysen Park Way, Caroline Springs.Credit: Nine News
A County Court judge later described Sherwani, who already had a criminal history spanning several years, as having “an anger management problem” and called the attack an act of “calculated cold-blooded violence”.
During the trial, it was revealed that Sherwani was a patched member of the Comancheros between 2012 and 2015, and had been ordered by the gang to bash the man over an alleged debt.
Sherwani was again arrested by police in 2023 after becoming involved in a wild high-speed pursuit and roadside fight near the Deer Park Bypass in Ravenhall, where his attacker threatened him with a hammer. He was released without charge.
Investigators at the time believed the fight was connected to a spate of arson attacks that destroyed several homes, offices and the popular Sonsa Market greengrocer in Collingwood.
Sherwani’s former Caroline Springs home was the subject of three firebombings in June and July 2023, which was also linked to the tit-for-tat arson attacks.
Bullet holes in Sherwani’s car at the Caroline Springs crime scene.Credit: AAP
At the time of the arson attack at Sonsa Market, police were investigating links between grocery industry players and criminal networks involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam/CCTV footage, or any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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