A man understood to be an associate of a former underworld figure was shot dead outside his Melbourne home, sparking an investigation into whether it was a suspected targeted killing. 

Emergency services were called to Gypsum Drive in Wollert, a suburb in the city’s northern outskirts, about 5.30pm on Thursday following reports of gunshots.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 42-year-old man dead at the property with injuries consistent with a shooting.

Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances of the death, including whether it was targeted.

‘The yet-to-be formally identified man’s death is being treated as suspicious,’ police said. 

CCTV footage published by Outlaw Media’s Ryan Naumenko on Friday morning included harrowing audio of a woman screaming after finding the man outside his home.

A separate clip showed two men running from the scene and speeding off in a Holden Commodore sedan.

Locals have been left shocked by the news.

Two men were seen running to a Holden Commodore sedan following the fatal shooting of a man in the Melbourne suburb of Wollert on Thursday evening

A 42-year-old man was found dead after being shot outside his home

A neighbour told the Herald Sun he witnessed a woman, believed to be the victim’s wife, breaking down in the street in the aftermath of the shooting.

‘There was a girl sitting there for a very long time. She was screaming and crying on the street,’ Manav Matharoo said.

‘Her family was living nearby, and they came to try and console her.’

 Another resident who lives on Lowline Way told The Age that an incident like this had ‘never happened before’ and that ‘we couldn’t sleep the whole night’.

Another neighbour told 9News: ‘It was horrible and I could see some children witnessing the incident, and I think it’s really bad for them.’

It is understood the man was an associate of former Melbourne underworld figure Kazem ‘Kaz’ Hamad, according to Naumenko.

The Herald Sun understands the Iraqi refugee is suspected of rising through the ranks to become a senior member of Hamad’s crew in Melbourne in recent years.

Hamad was deported from Australia to Iraq in 2023.

He was accused of being one of the key figures behind the Melbourne tobacco wars, which were allegedly linked to a series of firebombings across the city as rival groups battled for control of the billion-dollar illicit tobacco market.

Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, which police believe may have been a targeted attack 

 Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation (NCIJC) found him guilty in July this year of importing drugs into Iraq and Australia. He was handed a life sentence by the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad.

Police confirmed no arrests have been made and have not released further details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.