Police have released dramatic vision of a suspected gangland shooting in south-west Sydney that left a man seriously injured.
Detectives investigating the shooting of Vailena Koloamatangi – for the second time in three years – say they’ve linked five burnt-out cars found across Sydney and up to seven people to what they’re calling an assassination attempt.
CCTV footage shows the moments before and after the 27-year-old was shot in the ear and chest in an underground car park in Campsie at 9.20pm on September 12.
The video shows a masked and hooded man dressed all in black getting out of a white Mercedes sedan carrying two handguns.
He’s seen running through the Canterbury Road car park with the guns drawn before getting back in the luxury car to flee past a silver hatchback with multiple bullet holes in the windscreen.
Police believe as many as 12 shots were fired.
Koloamatangi, who is known to police as he was shot in the arm during a separate incident in 2020, was rushed to St George Hospital in a serious condition and eventually made a full recovery.
Police described the shooter as being of African appearance and more than 200 centimetres tall.
Five months on, drug and firearms squad police are appealing to the public to help track down those involved.
They now believe the Mercedes was parked at Daniel Street Park on Virgil Street in Greystanes – a 25-kilometre drive away in the city’s west – for weeks before the shooting.
Shortly after the attempted assassination, the car crashed into a home on Kilkee Avenue in nearby Kingsgrove and caught fire.
Police found a black Mazda CX-5 burning on Larien Crescent in Birrong and a blue BMW sedan alight on Leonie Crescent in Berala soon after.
The next day, they found a black Kia on fire on Wilshire Road in Agnes Banks, north of Penrith, and on September 20 they found a silver Nissan Pulsar alight on Bellamy Farm Road in West Pennant Hills, north of Parramatta.
Two men wearing balaclavas were seen fleeing the Nissan across Currawong Reserve to Timberline Avenue and police believe all five cars were used as getaway vehicles.
Police are also interested in a construction company truck seen with jerry cans on September 9 as the Mercedes was staged in Greystanes.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
