Shocking moment gunman shoots dad in quiet Aussie street in suspected case of mistaken identity
CCTV has captured the terrifying moment the 50-year-old was targeted by a shooter outside his Melbourne home.
CCTV has captured the terrifying moment an innocent dad was shot twice outside his home, in what police believe could be a mysterious case of mistaken identity.
The 50-year-old was standing outside his Altona North property in southwest Melbourne when the incident unfolded last October, with investigations ongoing. As he leaves through his front gate, a gold Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD is seen on CCTV driving towards the man before pulling up nearby.
According to Victoria Police, several shots were fired with one bullet grazing the father's hand as he ran to safety. Footage shows the shooter jumping out of the vehicle to chase the father on foot, firing as he ran, landing another bullet in his arm.
The victim was subsequently taken to hospital by a friend and treated for non-life threatening injuries, Victoria Police said on Thursday. Meanwhile, emergency services were called to a vehicle fire later the same night — investigators believe the stolen vehicle set alight was the same one used by the offenders during the shooting.
Police unable to establish a motive for brazen shooting
The security footage has now released as part of an ongoing investigation. Police are hopeful it could lead to "further avenues of enquiry".
Speaking to media on Thursday, Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said the father is "extremely lucky he wasn't killed". Police said the shooting was being treated as targeted, but believe it could be a case of mistaken identity and the victim was not the intended target.
"At this point in the investigation we do believe that it may in fact have been mistaken identify and they were looking to target potentially someone [else] in the street or a previous occupant," Detective Inspector Tilley said. "We’re keeping an open mind."
"At this stage, we haven’t been able to establish a motive for the shooting," he continued. "We’ve not been able to find any reason why the victim would have been targeted in this way."
Police are particularly keen to speak to anyone with knowledge about those involved in the shooting and subsequent car fire.
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