A young plumber was fatally shot at a sporting oval in Melbourne's north on Monday evening, with the gunman still at large. Daniel Hussein, 22, was found with a gunshot wound at the Lalor United Sloga FC complex in Thomastown shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time and died at the scene.
Mr. Hussein's father told Nine News that his son had called a brother shortly before the incident, stating he was being followed by a black vehicle with no license plates. The family expressed confusion regarding the motive for the attack.
Authorities were alerted to reports of shots fired and found Mr. Hussein in the reserve's carpark. He is understood to have been assisting a friend involved in a separate dispute at the time. A neighbor reported hearing a heated argument around 7:30 p.m. before observing a black SUV enter the carpark. The neighbor described seeing Mr. Hussein jump onto the vehicle's bonnet and kick at it before falling to the ground as the car drove away. It was not immediately clear if he had been shot at that moment, but he managed to walk to the footpath before collapsing.
A homicide investigation has been launched, and the park was cordoned off. A red ute was later towed from the scene as Mr. Hussein's family and friends gathered nearby. Police are appealing for anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers. As of Monday, no arrests had been made.