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Accountability Requires Exposure
Confronting CCTV vision has captured the moment a criminal identity was gunned down on a busy Sydney street.
Two cloaked gunmen opened fire on Nidal Acherkouk at a BP petrol station in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Surry Hills just before 8pm on Friday.
Shocking vision shows two men wearing dark ponchos sprinting up to the side of Acherkouk’s car before they fire off at least four shots.
Acherkouk, 30, who police said on Saturday had links to underworld organisations, somehow managed to cross over to the passenger seat and exit the car, despite being hit on the shoulder.
The gunmen set off in hot pursuit, firing more shots as members of the public ducked for cover behind cars and in shops and restaurants.
Footage, filmed by a passerby, then showed Acherkouk stumbling into the middle road outside a Chemist Warehouse as one man repeatedly screamed: ‘Get a f****ing ambulance!’
A shirtless man attempted to hold Acherkouk up as a large red bloodstain spread on his white t-shirt, while a man in a wheelchair zoomed over to help out.
Other members of the public ran over and attempted to give him first aid but he could not be saved.
Two cloaked gunmen opened fire on Nidal Acherkouk at a BP petrol station in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Surry Hills just before 8pm on Friday
Shocking vision shows two men wearing dark ponchos sprinting up to the side of Acherkouk’s car before they fire off at least four shots (pictured)
Footage, filmed by a passerby, then showed Acherkouk stumbling into the middle road outside a Chemist Warehouse as one man repeatedly screamed: ‘Get a f****ing ambulance!’
The two gunmen remain at large after setting fire to their getaway Porsche in nearby Kensington.
NSW Police said on Saturday that Acherkouk had links to underworld organisations in Sydney and was known to police at the time of his death.
South Sydney Police Area Command Superintendent Andrew Garner said the attack was ‘targeted’ during a press conference on Saturday.
‘This is an outrageous incident that demonstrated a high level of reckless indifference to the public that were in and around the area around that time,’ he said.
NSW Police said on Saturday that Acherkouk (pictured) had links to underworld organisations in Sydney and was known to police at the time of his death.
Supt Garner said Acherkouk had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body but couldn’t confirm how many shots had been fired.
‘He was alone in his vehicle in the service station,’ he said.
‘After that he got out of the vehicle and went on foot down Cleveland Street where he has succumbed to his injuries.’
Supt Garner said the incident was ‘outrageous’ and demonstrated a lack of regard for public safety in a busy and crowded part of the city.
‘We’ll be working very hard to identify and arrest those involved and hold them to account,’ Supt Garner said.
Images from the scene showed blood stains on the road near the service station.
Images from the scene showed blood stains (pictured) on the road near the petrol station
The shooter remains on the run after police were called to Baptist Street in Surry Hills after locals reported hearing gunshots just before 8pm on Friday (pictured is the scene on Friday)
Earlier, a blood-soaked white sheet was seen covering Acherkouk’s body as paramedics desperately worked to revive him.
A Porsche, believed to be the getaway car, was found on fire on Kensington Road in Kensington, about an hour after the shooting.
Supt Garner said police are investigating the movements of the burnt-out vehicle.
NSW Police said in a statement on Friday night that the shooting and the burnt out car are believed to be linked.
Earlier, blood-soaked white sheet was seen covering the man’s body as paramedics desperately worked to revive him (pictured)
Swarms of emergency responders, including police and at least five emergency vehicles were at the scene.
Officers secured the intersection of Cleveland and Bourke Streets before a police operation commenced.
Several people, who were inside one store, were forced to duck for cover at the sound of gunshots.
One local who was dining nearby told Daily Mail Australia she heard three gunshots go off in the direction of the BP.
Witnesses reported seeing the gunman jump from a car before the shooting, while another witness said they saw a ‘bloodied’ man after the incident.
Another man told the Daily Telegraph he heard ‘bang after bang’ and said ‘everyone just panicked’ as chaos ensued.
‘People running and screaming everywhere. It was surreal. Terrifying,’ he said.
Some businesses were forced to shut their doors for the night with local grocery store Harris Farm reportedly urging shoppers to leave.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing with anyone with information about the incident has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
