Notorious former bikie boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi has been gunned down and killed as he sat in his 4WD outside a Sydney gym, with police fearing revenge attacks will follow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The former Comancheros boss was shot outside a Fitness First gym in Rockdale about midday on Thursday in what police described as a "serious, brutal and callous" daylight murder.
His luxury 4WD was peppered with at least half a dozen bullets and Hawi went into cardiac arrest after reportedly being shot in the face and chest.
The 37-year old was taken to St George Hospital where he later died.
Two men in dark clothing were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene after the attack. Witnesses identified a man wearing a balaclava as the trigger man.
Shortly after the hit, a Mercedes Benz station wagon was set alight on a nearby street.
"This was a planned and targeted attack," Assistant Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters on Thursday evening.
"This is something that we will not tolerate because of the potential for an innocent member of the public to be harmed."
Hawi was given 21 years jail in 2012 for his role in the killing of Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas who was bashed with a bollard during a brawl between the rival clubs at Sydney Airport three years earlier.
But the murder conviction was quashed on appeal in May 2014.
Five months later he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to a maximum of six years and two months and was released on parole in May 2015.
Mr Lanyon said investigators are now turning their focus to Sydney's underworld as they try to find the people responsible for the "serious, brutal and callous attack".
"At this stage we continue to investigate the shooting of Mr Hawi and we will explore the links between organised crime and Mr Hawi - but it's too early to determine the motive for the shooting," he said.
But police resources are also being deployed to prevent retribution for the murder.
"It's essential, when we believe there could be links to organised crime, that we take action to prevent that," Mr Lanyon said.
Sydney media reported Mr Hawi had a bounty on his head and there may have been bad blood between him and current Comanchero leader Mark Buddle.
A riot squad car was stationed at the entrance of St George Hospital as dozens of Mr Hawi's family and friends arrived to be by his side shortly before he was declared dead.
Women were heard wailing as they ran out of cars and into the hospital entrance.
Reshan Mutukrishna, who owns a physiotherapy clinic inside the gym metres from where the gangland figure was shot, said Hawi was a regular.
Mr Mutukrishna said he heard four loud bangs - which he initially thought were weights being dropped - before the gym was locked down.
"I heard a lot of screaming and shouting, I just thought maybe someone fell at the gym," he said.
"It's shocking. It's sad. But it's not surprising."
Fitness First said it had closed the Rockdale gym until further notice.
"We are fully complying with the police investigation," a spokeswoman said.
"Our priority is ensuring our staff and members are provided the right support at this time."
Australian Associated Press
