By Sarah Keoghan
Residents of a quiet residential cul-de-sac in Sydney’s south-west have expressed their shock after their neighbour of decades, 91-year-old Joe Ziri, was allegedly stabbed to death in his home by his step-grandson.
Police were called to the home in Hillview Street in Roselands about 9.55pm on Wednesday, following reports of a stabbing.
Joe Ziri pictured with his wife before her death from COVID-19 in 2021.Credit: Facebook
Emergency services arrived to find Ziri dead with stab wounds. Two officers also had to be taken to St George Hospital to be treated for chemical burns after finding hydrochloric acid – normally used as a pool chemical – had been thrown around the home.
The two officers have since been released from hospital.
About an hour after finding Ziri’s body, police arrested a 24-year-old. He remains under police guard in hospital and is undergoing treatment for injuries sustained prior to his arrest.
Neighbours said Hillview Street had for decades played host to cricket games for the children while the adults happily watched, sipping coffee and chatting together on their front porches.
Police at the scene after the fatal stabbing of Joe Ziri in Roselands.Credit: Nine
It’s why the events of Wednesday night came as such a shock to the little street in Roselands.
Neighbour Susie Fakhry said she had known the Ziri family since the ’70s. The family had previously lived on nearby Flora Street before buying the house on Hillview about 20 years ago.
“As soon as I found out, I had to come down,” she said.
“We grew up with them. It’s just a tragedy. He was a great Dad, a great grandfather. So, everybody’s in shock. He was just a family man. He used to do a lot of maintenance at home, and raise his kids. He was a beautiful holy spirited man, who would never hurt anybody.”
Neighbour Susie Fakhry first met the Ziri family in 1977.Credit: Sarah Keoghan
Another neighbour, Robert Farhat, 75, also spoke of Ziri with great fondness on Thursday, and said he met the family in 1988.
The two would regularly have coffee at each other’s homes, and said the family was shattered when Ziri’s wife died of COVID-19 at the end of 2021. Farhat said Ziri was a machine operator for 35 years before retiring.
Anthony Ziri (left) found his father dead in the home on Wednesday night and called police. Credit: Facebook
“He was a very, very good man, we were very close friends. All his children would play cricket out the front of my house,” he said.
Farhat said he felt for Ziri’s son Anthony, who found his father’s body on Wednesday night. He made the call to police and has since spoken to detectives.
It was Anthony’s stepson who was taken into police custody.
Fire and Rescue NSW said eight fire trucks attended the incident, and crews worked with police to ventilate the home to help in setting up a crime scene. Fire and Rescue NSW also provided NSW Ambulance with appropriate protective clothing to enable them to enter the home.
The alleged attacker allegedly fled after the incident but was found by officers nearby and arrested about 11.15pm. He had recently become known to police.
Campsie Police Area Commander Superintendent Sheridan Waldau said detectives had been unable to interview the 24-year-old due to his hospital treatment.
“We’re not sure of the circumstances as to exactly what happened last night as we haven’t been able to speak to the 24-year-old male at this stage, so how it actually occurred last night we’re not quite sure,” she said.
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