Gangland boxer ambushed in night of violence across Sydney
Updated ,first published
A boxer with gang links is fighting for his life after being ambushed by gunmen and two police officers have been hospitalized in a series of unrelated attacks in western Sydney.
On a night of violence, a masked gunman in black overalls fired into the passenger door and window of a white Mercedes sedan on Campbell Hill Road in Chester Hill around 11:30 p.m.
The target, Humzah Khalid, was shot and his driver Nasem Shamit quickly took him away from the scene.
Khalid was an international boxing champion who fought under the name Raging Bull and served time in prison for his role in the 2021 kidnappings. Police said the boxer was suspected of having links to organized crime.
About five minutes after the initial call about the shooting, police were notified that a 26-year-old man had arrived at Auburn Hospital with serious gunshot wounds.
Police arriving at the hospital discovered the Mercedes parked outside with multiple bullet holes.
The 58-year-old chief inspector, who has been on the job for 40 years, went in fearing that Khalid, who was seriously injured, might die or be rushed into surgery before giving information about the attackers.
The police officer was confronted by Khalid’s driver, Shamit, who allegedly punched the officer in the head multiple times.
Bankstown Commander Rod Hart described the incident as “an unprovoked attack for unknown reasons”.
The senior officer and two security guards at the hospital managed to arrest Shamit, who had a head injury.
Shamit has been charged with assaulting a police officer and will appear at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.
Earlier in the evening, at 8.40pm in Greenacre, a riot police sergeant jumped out of his vehicle to arrest the driver of a stolen car.
The wanted man allegedly went forward to crash into the police vehicle and pinned the sergeant between the two vehicles.
The sergeant drew his service pistol and fired three times into the car, Bankstown Commander Rod Hart told media on Thursday.
Detective Inspector Hart said: “The officer had serious fears for his life; he got stuck in a car, ran over him and fired, which I believe saved his life.”
“He was very, very, very dangerous; if he hadn’t fired his weapon, I think he could have been seriously injured or worse.”
The wanted man turned his car upside down and walked away, leaving the riot police team to provide first aid to his injured colleague.
The 39-year-old police officer was treated for a leg injury and taken to hospital in stable condition.
Police followed the driver to the backyard of a Ryde home a block away from Victoria Road.
The 32-year-old man was covered in blood after a police bullet hit his shoulder and the second bullet hit his wrist.
He was two blocks away from the abandoned Toyota that was found with three shots through its windshield.
Paramedics responded at the scene before he was taken to hospital in a stable condition. He will undergo surgery on Thursday before being charged.
Hart said the driver was known to police and investigations into why he allegedly stole the car were still ongoing, but it did not appear to be linked to organized crime.
Detectives continued to investigate both attacks Thursday morning.
“Last night was a great example of the job police do every day,” Hart said.
“Our lives are put at risk in every job we go to, but they stand up and show up.”
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously ran The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s national news live blog.Connect via email.
