Man survives third shooting in 18 months in Western Sydney

Khoder Hamdan has narrowly avoided being shot after a barrage of bullets were fired on a busy road at Auburn in what is believed to be a gangland-related incident.

A young man has avoided being shot for the third time in just 18 months after 10 bullets were fired at home in the latest gangland-related incident in Sydney’s west.

Khoder Hamdan was lucky to escape without injury after balaclava-clad gunmen opened fire on Chisholm Rd at Auburn about 3.15pm.

The gunmen then drove to Atkins Ave in the nearby suburb of Carramar where locals saw men in dark clothing running away from the car as it burnt, before making their way on foot through the adjacent Heiden Park reserve.

The Daily Telegraph understands the intended target of the shooting was Hamdan, 20, who previously survived two other attempts on his life last year - one in Auburn on May 30, 2023 and a second in shooting in Wetherill Park on August 25, 2023.

Khoder Hamdan has survived a third public shooting in less than 18 months.

Sources said locals on the street saw men in dark clothing running away from the car as it burned.

NSW Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics hurried to the scene after receiving reports of the shooting however despite the volume of shots, Hamdan was not injured and is understood to have refused to deal with police or paramedics.

At the same time, less than 10 minutes away in Carramar, the silver getaway sedan used by the gunmen was ablaze with a yellow jerry can, which was presumably used to start the fire, sitting in the middle of the road nearby.

Video from the scene of the car fire shows a local resident wearing hi-vis running over to put out the blaze using a fire extinguisher, however the scale of it meant it could not be put out until fire crews arrived.

Hamdan was targeted twice last year - at Auburn on May 30, 2023 and Wetherill Park on August 25, 2023.

In a statement, NSW Police said they believed both incidents were linked and a canvas of the two crime scenes - a few kilometres apart - was now underway.

“Officers have been informed that two men were seen to be running from the vicinity in Atkins Ave,” a police statement read.

“Local police – with the assistance of the Dog Squad and PolAir – are conducting a canvas of the area.

“Both incidents are believed to be linked and crime scenes have been established at the locations that will be examined by specialist officers.”

More to come

Originally published as Man survives third shooting in 18 months in Western Sydney