Possible Airtasker link to Sydney kebab triple shooting

A triple shooting in the heart of Sydney’s west, which critically injured a female kebab shop worker caught in the crossfire, is believed to have been carried out by two men hired on Airtasker.

A man is loaded into an ambulance after the shootings. Picture: Supplied

A triple shooting in the heart of Sydney’s west, which critically injured a female kebab shop worker who was caught in the crossfire, is believed to have been carried out by two men hired on Airtasker.

Alleged underworld figure and “epicentre” of a simmering underworld feud, Samimjan Azari, 26, was targeted for the third time yesterday when two masked men stormed a Turkish food outlet at Auburn and opened fire on him and another man acting as his bodyguard.

A terrified female employee of the shop, 50, was shot twice in the torso when the wild shootout unfolded inside M Brothers Takeaway, at 1.15pm.

Azari suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and shoulder, while his male friend was shot in the face.

All three shooting victims were listed as being in a serious but stable condition in Westmead Hospital last night.

Senior police sources told The Daily Telegraph they were investigating whether the gunmen were hired on the Airtasker online platform – the same method detectives confirmed was used in a separate attempted murder of an Alameddine crime figure within the last month.

NSW Police Acting Commissioner Peter Thurtell vowed to throw every resource available at catching those ­responsible for yesterday’s shooting.

“It’s beyond comprehension that three people be shot in a crowded Sydney street in broad daylight,” he said.

NSW Police Minister ­Yasmin Catley said it was ­“abhorrent” that an innocent woman was shot while just doing her job.

The street has been closed in the wake of the shootings. Picture: TNV

“All she did was go to work, and she has been caught up in this shocking event,” she said.

“It’s one thing for criminals to be shooting each other, but when innocent people get caught up in this, it is absolutely abhorrent and we will not tolerate it.”

Senior police sources said a split between the Alameddines and the KVT gang members, who were once their enforcers, is behind the recent spate of ­violence across the city.

Last month, police warned a court that there would be further “bloodshed on the streets” if Azari was granted bail, ­describing him as being at the “epicentre” of the ongoing underworld feud.

Azari was the target of another shocking daylight shooting at Granville on May 25, which killed Dawood Zakaria. Azari and another man were uninjured in the back seat of the vehicle when a gunman opened fire on them at a set of traffic lights.

Samimjan Azari. Picture: Supplied.

Azari was arrested on guns charges after he was the target of a shootin

Parramatta Local Court was told that Azari, who was later charged with possessing an unauthorised gun that was allegedly found inside the ute, could be a target in the “tit-for-tat” gangland war.

“There will be further bloodshed on the streets – the streets will not be safe. And it’s because of Mr Azari’s standing and holding in the organised crime network,” NSW Police prosecutor Kai Jiang told the court on May 26.

Azari was also the target of a shooting at Brighton-Le-Sands in February, but he escaped without serious injury, police said.

Mr Thurtell said detectives from Taskforce Falcon, which was set up after the Granville shooting, spoke to Azari just days ago and warned him to stay off the streets.

“As recently as last Friday, police had spoken with the man due to concerns about his safety. This man has already been the target of previous shooting attempts,” Mr Thurtell said.

But despite the warning, Azari reported for bail at ­nearby Auburn police station just after noon yesterday, then made his way to the kebab shop. He and his bodyguard were inside the South Pde store when two men with their faces covered entered the premises and fired eight shots.

The gunmen then tried to get access to an office at the rear of the shop, before taking off in a black Audi Q7 with cloned number plates.

That car was found burnt out at Harris Park several hours later.

Bystander videos of the aftermath of the shooting showed Azari lying on the floor of the store with blood pouring from his chest, while people screamed for help.

Another video showed a man, believed to be Azari’s bodyguard, being wheeled to a waiting ambulance with blood all over his face.

The commotion on the busy street triggered a heavily-pregnant woman inside a nearby business to go into ­labour. She was also taken to Westmead Hospital in a stable condition.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the criminals who committed this “shockingly brazen” crime would be tracked down and dealt with.

“We don’t stand for it and NSW Police doesn’t stand for it,” he said.

Taskforce Falcon is leading the investigation into yesterday’s shooting.

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Originally published as Possible Airtasker link to Sydney kebab triple shooting