Pistol unravels web of murder, gangs and crime in Sydney
A SEMI-automatic handgun stashed in a glove box has unravelled a chilling web of underworld crimes, including the murder of Bassil Hijazi, a drive-by shooting and bikie conflict.
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A HANDGUN stashed in a gangster’s car helped police unravel a web of crimes, including a murder, a drive-by shooting and a gang war.
Using the Integrated Ballistic Identification System — a database that records guns, bullets and cartridges found at crime scenes around the country — police have been able to trace the firearm’s history from when it was made in Germany until it was seized by officers.
Killer Joseph Gatt starts his Supreme Court sentence hearing this week for the murder of Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang associate Bassil Hijazi in 2013.
Now we can reveal the trail of ballistic evidence tendered in court that helped convict the murderer by linking crime scenes, friends and enemies.
On June 16, 2013, police found a .380 calibre self-loading pistol in a car on Rona St, Peakhurst, linked to Abbas Hijazi, a figure well-known to police.
The gun, hidden in the centre compartment, was taken to the ballistics centre in Surry Hills, where it serial number, make and model were uploaded onto IBIS.
Scientific officer Elton Potgieter learned the gun was made in 1994 and imported into Australia the same year. But the trail went “cold” from 1997, when the gun was still “clean”.
On July 29, 2013, a month after the gun was seized from Abbas Hijazi’s car, his friend Bassil Hijazi, 18, was shot dead in a carpark in Bexley.
Bullet casings found beside the victim’s car appeared to be from another gun used in a drive-by shooting in Hurstville on June 9, 2013.
Gatt, a drug dealer, was seen near the scene at the time.
Police believed if the crimes were linked that made Gatt a prime suspect in Bassil Hijazi’s murder.
Then, in 2014, police received a tip-off that Gatt’s car had been targeted in a drive-by shooting on June 12, 2013, following an argument at McDonald’s in Lakemba.
Gatt, who did not report the incident, suspected Abbas Hijazi was responsible.
Despite a year having passed, police tracked down Gatt’s car and found the .380 calibre bullet still inside.
Every firearm leaves unique markings on cartridge cases and bullets that police can use to match evidence from crime scenes to see if the same gun has been used in multiple crimes.
“It’s like fingerprints. The same firearm used in different shootings will leave cartridge cases with similar or the same markings,” Mr Potgieter said.
Within an hour, IBIS had matched the bullet from Gatt’s car to the gun found in Abbas Hijazi’s glove box.
The ballistic breakthrough strengthened one of the murder motives, that Bassil Hijazi was killed in retribution for his friend Abbas Hijazi shooting at Gatt. Hijazi has never been charged over the attack on Gatt.
“It gives detectives a bit more information on their intelligence and they can carry on pushing leads and investigations,” Mr Potgieter said.
Originally published as Pistol unravels web of murder, gangs and crime in Sydney
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