Three injured in shooting at Auburn kebab shop, underworld figure the intended target

By Anton Rose, ABC

Three people have been injured in a shooting in Sydney's west following what police believe is the third attempt to kill an underworld figure.

Police arrived on the scene at South Parade in Auburn after reports of shots being fired about 1:10pm on Monday (AUS time).

According to NSW Police, two masked gunmen walked into a kebab shop, firing eight shots in total, before leaving the scene in a black BMW with a cloned licence plate.

A 50-year-old woman, believed to have worked at the restaurant, was shot twice in the torso.

Two men were also injured - a 26-year-old shot in the arm and shoulder, and a man, his age so far unknown, shot in the face.

All have been taken to hospital in a serious condition, police said.

Victim believed to be linked to prior shootings

Sources have told the ABC one of the victims of the shooting is Samimjan Azari, 26, who has survived two attempts on his life this year.

The most recent of which saw his associate Dawood Zakaria killed when a gunman pulled up to their ute on May 25 in Granville and opened fire.

Azari is alleged to be a member of the Alameddine organised crime network, a Western Sydney family that police have long claimed control the city's drug trade.

In February, Azari narrowly survived another attempt on his life in Brighton-Le-Sands where a gunman fired on him and a group of associates.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, acting commissioner Peter Thurtell said Azari had reported for bail just an hour before he was shot at.

"He's had two previous attempts on his life so I've got no doubt that he did expect it," acting commissioner Thurtell said.

"We have spoken to him as recently as Friday where he expressed concern about the previous attempts on his life.

"The fact he was out again in public, I don't know what that says about what he's thinking."

Assistant commissioner Thurtill said Taskforce Falcon would attempt to identify any linkages between this event and the previous two events.

"But clearly, it may go beyond just the two gunmen that were present at the site and people who were shot working at the shop.

"We will do everything we can to bring these gunmen to justice. It's as simple as that."

Witnesses recount attack

Local business owner Ashim Shresdha was working in his nearby store when he heard the gunshots ring out.

"I heard five gunshots noise and then after about five seconds, another two shots," he recalled.

Shresdha said he saw two gunmen wearing black balaclavas.

"We saw two guys running across the road to where their car was parked at the bus stop. I saw one guy masked with a gun in his hand," he said.

"After about ten seconds another guy ran out to him, and they left."

'We don't stand for it'

NSW premier Chris Minns called the daylight shooting "brazen".

"This is shockingly brazen, and NSW Police Force investigators are already hunting down those responsible," Minns said.

"We don't stand for it, and NSW Police doesn't stand for it.

"The NSW Police Force has levelled charges in relation to 20 of the 25 organised crime murders since 2021, and they're not done yet.

"People committing this kind of violence can expect to be arrested, charged, and to spend years inside small jail cells."

Less than three weeks ago, police minister Yasmin Catley announced the formation of Taskforce Falcon - a new strike force targeting a recent spate of underworld shootings.

She described the events in Auburn as "horrifying".

"Multiple people have been injured in this public place shooting. Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones.

"This kind of violence has no place in our community. It's horrifying, it's unacceptable and it shakes the sense of safety we all deserve."

- ABC