Taha Sabbagh, a 40-year-old man, was shot up to 10 times while sitting in a car with his 12-year-old son outside a gym in Sefton, Sydney with his shooting video viral
Police are looking into whether this was a planned attack. Detectives think that the shooting wasn’t random and was probably related to organised crime, but they don’t know if Sabbagh was the intended target.
Taha Sabbagh went to the Elite Fight Force gym in Sefton often. Hours before he was killed, he posted a video to of a boy training at the martial arts centre. Around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, as he was getting out of his car, a Mazda 3 pulled up and shots were fired at him.
Taha Sabbagh shooting in Sydney video goes viral as celebrity driver is shot dead
Taha Sabbagh has been identified as the victim of this morning's fatal drive-by shooting at Elite Fight Force martial arts gym in Sefton. pic.twitter.com/IqIyi8rtiQ
— 10 News First Sydney (@10NewsFirstSyd) March 2, 2023
Superintendent Danny Doherty, who is in charge of the homicide squad in NSW, said that police did not think the attack was random, but they did not know why. Sabbagh was not a big name in Sydney’s criminal underworld, and his friends and family have said on social media that his death was a case of “mistaken identity.”
“We won’t know for sure if he was the target or not, but we’ll still keep an open mind,” he said. “But the signs point to a targeted murder by a group of criminals,” he said.
Driver’s murder linked to issue of organized crime
Taha Sabbagh’s death was the first one in Sydney that police could link to organised crime since August 2022. This was a six-month break from the public shootings that had been going on for years. At least 15 people were shot and killed in the underworld in the two years leading up to August.
A Sydney car dealer has been gunned down in front of his 12-year-old son. 40-year-old Taha Sabbagh and his boy were sitting in a car outside a gym in the city's south west when it was sprayed with gunfire. https://t.co/VZ3A1cHvFd #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/cWrGnM5wyt
— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) March 2, 2023
Over the past year, police made a number of high-profile arrests that made them feel like they had the upper hand against the criminals who used the streets as a battleground. But the recent shooting has made people worry that the gang wars that “plagued” the city might be coming back.
Many people poured in love for Taha Sabbagh
People who cared about Taha Sabbagh wrote about him on social media. Calling him a “kind-hearted man” and a “gentle soul.” Sabbagh was the owner of a construction company, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He had also worked as a carpenter and a project manager in the past. He was also very interested in martial arts. In Australia, he had competed in several Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments.
He can’t be that beautiful.
“Taha Sabbagh – a beautiful person"
Superintendent Danny Doherty, head of the NSW homicide squad, said that the circumstances of the murder were consistent with an organised crime hit.
— Riff Jet (@TheRiffJet) March 2, 2023
Taha Sabbagh’s friend Joe Faddoul said, “He was a very humble man.” “He didn’t deserve to be hurt the way he was. He was an excellent father, husband, and friend.” Police are asking for anyone who saw what happened. They are asking if someone has a cam footage from Thursday morning in the area.
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