condell park shooting

Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, or @ newy on weekends

geeze another innocent person dies.

and it is just down the road from my work Shocked

Joined: 27 Nov 2002 Location: Lost in Melbourne.

you mean this?

'Wrong man shot': protected witness probable target
February 2, 2004 - 5:33PM

A young man shot dead in Sydney's south-west may have been an innocent victim mistaken for a friend -- a key police witness in a drug trafficking case.

Mark Ross Barrie Nicholls, 20, was at the front of a smash repair workshop at Condell Park, when he was shot five times with a semi-automatic weapon about 6.15pm (AEDT) yesterday.

The Kings Langley resident, who was doing a favour for his friend moving cars in time for the re-leasing of his business, had arrived at the workshop only moments earlier.

His friend, a protected witness to a current court case, was in the back of the workshop when the shots were fired.

"Within a few moments, he heard the gunfire, made the telephone calls to police and established his friend had been murdered," Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Inkster said.

The witness -- who cannot be identified because he is under police protection -- was well known to Task Force Gain, which is investigating a spree of violent gang shootings in the area.

He is also a key witness in court proceedings involving five men charged with drug-related offences, kidnapping and armed robbery.

But Supt Inkster, who heads up Task Force Gain, said it was still unclear whether the latest fatal shooting was gang-related.

He said the dead man, a former security guard, had no criminal convictions and a motive for the shooting remained a mystery.

But it was possible the hit was not a mistake, given the shots were fired at close range, including at least one to the head, he said.

"We have not come to any conclusions that the murder of Mr Nicholls was in fact a case of mistaken identity," he said.

Supt Inkster said if the fatal shooting was related to the protected witness, the killer or killers would not have achieved anything by murdering Mr Nicholls.

The witness, who is slightly older than the victim, had been extremely lucky and feared for his life, he added.

He was still cooperating with police and was re-considering full police protection, which he had declined up until last night.

"The events of yesterday only convinced him to continue cooperating," Supt Inkster said.

A new task force, Kezia, had been set up to investigate the shooting, alongside homicide detectives and Task Force Gain. A report was also being prepared for the coroner.

Police were looking for a silver-coloured V8 Commodore seen leaving the workshop.

Cartridges and other items left behind at the scene also were being examined, Supt Inkster said.

Meanwhile, four people asleep at a home on Kincumber Rd, Bonnyrigg in Sydney's west, escaped unharmed after several shots were fired through the front room of their house about 3am (AEDT) today.

Police said there was no connection to Mr Nicholls' death, and they appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Joined: 06 Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, or @ newy on weekends

yeah thats it

Joined: 20 Nov 2002 Location: soz

poor bastard.......wrong place at the wrong time

Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne Australia

rojac wrote:

poor bastard.......wrong place at the wrong time

...maybe...