Hells Angels bikie known as 'Blackie', 29, shot dead in BED while asleep next to a woman in brazen gangland execution - as gunman is still on the run
- Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat, 29, was found dead in his bed about 2.30am Friday
- The shooter fled the apartment block at Mortlake in inner-west Sydney
- Barakat, a Hells Angels associate, had gunshot wounds to the stomach and chest
- The shooter has fled the scene and police have launched a manhunt
A bikie associate has been shot dead in his bed at close range at his waterfront apartment in inner-west Sydney[5].
Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat, 29, was found dead with gunshot wounds to his stomach and chest at Mortlake about 2.30am on Friday, Sydney Morning Herald[6] reports.
Barakat is associated with the Hells Angels bikie gang, and was considered a suspect in the gangland shooting of a hitman in his driveway last year.
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Kemel Barakat is pictured in 2013 being arrested in a police raid. He was found dead about 2.30am on Friday
Police are pictured at the crime scene on Bennett street in Mortlake, inner-west Sydney
Mourners were arriving at the scene on Friday morning after the suspected gangland shooting
NSW Police superintendent Mark Jones said the dead man was yet to be formally identified and de clined to say whether or not he was well known to police.
A woman who was in bed with Barakat when the shooting took place is being cared for by police.
'She is someone we want to speak to and she is being cared for by police as we speak. It is a very serious matter obviously and would be quite a stressful situation for her,' Supt Jones said.
The shooter had fled the scene before emergency services arrived and a manhunt is underway. No arrests have yet been made.
A burnt-out Mercedes was found in Belmore shortly after and is being treated as a possible getaway car.
Mourners were arriving at the scene of the Mortlake apartment on Friday morning.
A man in his 50s was asking 'where is my son?' outside the apartment and was treated by paramedics at the scene for breathing difficulties.
Friends began posting tributes on Friday morning after hearing of Barakat's death.
A burnt-out Mercedes was found in Belmore shortly after and is being treated as a possible getaway car
Heavy police presence is pictured at the scene at Bennett street in Mortlake, inner-west Sydney
A 50-year-old man who appeared to be distressed was treated by paramedics at the scene for breathing problems
The man as asking 'where is my son?' outside the apartment in Mortlake on Friday morning
Police are pictured with a distressed man, aged in his 50s, after Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat was found dead
A man who grew up with the 29-year-old and knew him well simply wrote: 'RIP Blackie.'
Another, who said she went to high school with Barakat, remembered him as friendly and funny.
'I was in shock when I read this because I remembered him as a friendly and funny mate back in the day,' th e woman wrote.
'What a tragedy Blackie.'
Another woman said he was 'gone too soon'.
'God bless his soul.'
In response to negative comments from strangers, a loved one commented on Facebook Barakat was 'a father, a son, a newphew, a grandchild'.
'He was family and a good kid. Those who have nothing nice to say shouldn't say anything at all. If you don't know, don't comment.'
Police reportedly considered Barakat, among others, as a possible shooter in the execution-style hit on Hamad Assaad.
A man who grew up with Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat and knew him well posted a tribute on Facebook on Friday morning
Kemel 'Blackie' Barakat, 29, was sho t dead in the chest and stomach (scene pictured)
The victim was shot 'a large number of times', NSW Police Superintendent Mark Jones said
Assaad, a hitman, was repeatedly shot in front of his 12-year-old nephew about 9.20am on October 25.
Two gunmen had ambushed him on the driveway of his Georges Hall home in southwest Sydney.
Assaad was a key suspect in the murder of Gangland kingpin and convicted killer Walid Ahmad, 40, who was killed in a spray of bullets on the rooftop car park of Bankstown Central shopping centre in April.
Ten underworld figures have been killed in Sydney since 2015, with the spate of bloody murders prompting NSW Police to launch Strike Force Osprey in November to oversee the investigations into each of the incidents.
Barakat reportedly has convictions relating to drug supply.
He had been a senior member in the Comancheros before he changed allegiances, Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Police reportedly considered Barakat, among others, as a possible shooter in the execution-style hit on Hamad Assaad (pictured)
A crime scene has been established and police have launched a homicide investigation (Bennett Street, Mortlake, in Sydney's inner-west is pictured)
The victim was shot 'a large number of times', but Supt Jones couldn't say whether or not he was in bed or had got up to answer the door.
'It's only very, very early in our investigation but something that we're always very concerned about would be any sort of reprisal-type action,' he said.
Supt Jones said the victim had lived at the address for more than a month.
A resident, named as Keith, described recent activity at all hours in the area, which has a number of abandoned factories.
'I've often seen maybe 20 times cars with clothing and people coming in and out,' he told the ABC. 'It looks like they're moving in or out.'
A crime scene has been established and police have launched a homicide investigation.
Do you know more? Contact rachel.eddie@mailonline.com
References
- ^ Australian Associated Press (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Rachel Eddie For Daily Mail Australia (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ e-mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ 14 View comments (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sydney (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au)
