Spate of killings but city still safe

AUTHORITIES have reassured Melbourne residents that a recent spate of fatal shootings is confined to organised crime circles, insisting the city is safe.

As homicide detectives probe the fifth fatal shooting in less than a fortnight in the southern capital, Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville said there was no reason for the public to feel unsafe.

“These are people often involved in bikie gangs or organised crime,” she said yesterday.

“Police are taking it extremely seriously.”

Police Commander Tim Hansen said he could understand why Melburnians might be worried following news of another fatal shooting, but added: “Melbourne is a safe city.”

“Shooting crime is a horrendous crime and strikes at the heart of everything we feel comfortable and safe about,” he said yesterday.

“But I have absolute faith in the capabilities of investigators that we’ll get to the bottom of this series of shootings relatively quickly.”

Detectives have previously highlighted commonalities among some of the shooting deaths, including that the victims had been attending preplanned meetings that led to a “fatal escalation”.

In the latest incident, emergency services were called to a busy street in suburban Springvale just before midnight on Sunday following reports of a single gunshot.

The victim, who is yet to be formally identified, died at the scene. Police believe the victim and shooter were known to each other and don’t think the incident is linked to the other shootings in Melbourne this month.

A 22-year-old Dandenong man was arrested yesterday over the latest shooting.

The victim was the fifth person

SHOOTING CRIME IS A HORRENDOUS CRIME AND STRIKES AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE FEEL … SAFE ABOUT

POLICE COMMANDER TIM HANSEN

to die as a result of gun violence in four incidents over the past 10 days in Melbourne.

The previous shootings were in Kensington, Dandenong and Meadow Heights. Two of three men wanted over the Kensington shooting, which killed one man and injured two others, have been arrested in Sydney.

Mikhael Myko, 25, is due to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today. Abdullah El Nasher, 27, was injured while being arrested at Bankstown on Friday and remained in hospital, still to be interviewed by police.

Older brother Ali El Nasher, 28, is still wanted.