Callous and brazen Sydney father executed in front of 12-year-old son outside martial arts gym
A murder investigation is underway after a father was shot dead in front of his 12-year-old son in a car outside a martial arts gym in south-west Sydney.
Police believe the “execution style” shooting of Taha Sabbagh on Carlingford Street in Sefton at 6.30am was a targeted attack, likely linked to organised crime.
The 40-year-old was shot multiple times outside the Elite Fight Force mixed martial arts gym.
Superintendent Danny Doherty said Sabbagh was attending the gym with his son before the shooting.
“It is horrendous a 12-year-old had to witness his father being shot dead in this manner,” Doherty said.
He said the incident was “very traumatising” for Sabbagh’s son and his family.
“It has all the hallmarks of an organised crime related murder.
“It was callous and brazen and (the shooter) had little regard for human life.”
Doherty said they believed there was a link between a Mazda 3 found burnt out in a nearby suburb of Birrong and the vehicle used in the shooting.
Police suspect there were two people involved but are trying to establish who they were and what the motive behind the shooting was.
“We believe whilst he (Sabbagh) was relatively not well known to police, he was associated with people who are well known to police.”
It comes as a witness told Ben Fordham Live on 2GB Radio that he was inside a business across the road from the gym when he heard bangs.
“I was hoping [it] was a car backfiring and then as I heard a car speed off there was another series of bangs,” he said.
“I hesitated to go to the front of the workshop obviously, and slowly looked out the window and saw people coming out.
“Within minutes there was a load of ambulances, police everywhere, and then we saw a man on the ground not in a good way.”
Despite the efforts of paramedics, the Sabbagh died at the scene.
A crime scene has been established, which is being examined by specialist forensic officers.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Elite Fight Force said it would be closed for the day.
“We are very sorry for any inconvenience, Elite Fight Force will be closed today and all classes will be cancelled for the day,” the gym posted to its Instagram stories.
“Please bear with us and stay updated with our stories for any new announcements.”
