A man gunned down on a footpath in Melbourne's north in a brazen late-night attack has been identified as the father of an associate of illicit tobacco kingpin Kaz Hamad.
Emergency services were called to Mahoneys Road in Reservoir shortly before midnight on Tuesday following reports of a man being shot outside a housing complex.
Elias Serevetas, 55, was shot five times in the head and died at the scene.
Mr Serevetas was the father of George 'Snowman' Serevetas, who has been linked to underworld figure Kaz Hamad and has previously been described as one of his standover men.
Hamad has been accused of being one of the key orchestrators of Melbourne's tobacco wars and of having links to a series of firebombings carried out amid a fight for control of the billion-dollar illicit tobacco market before he was deported to Iraq in 2023.
He was recently found guilty of importing drugs into Iraq and Australia and was given a life sentence by the Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad.
The Herald Sun reported that Mr Serevetas was gunned down hours before he was due to face court on Wednesday for traffic offences.
The magistrate later noted that the prosecution would withdraw the charges 'for a fairly obvious reason - he is deceased'.
A homicide investigation is underway after a man was shot dead in Melbourne's north
Elias Serevetas was shot five times in the head in Reservoir and died at the scene. He was a standover man for underworld figure KaHamad, who is behind bars in Iraq.
Homicide detectives remained at the crime scene on Wednesday as they probed whether Mr Serevetas was gunned down in a targeted attack
Homicide detectives remained at the crime scene on Wednesday, as they probe whether Mr Serevetas was gunned down in a targeted attack.
A man got out of a parked black Lexus SUV and fired multiple shots at Mr Serevetas before returning to the getaway car which fled the scene, according to police.
Nearby CCTV captured the moment multiple shots were fired on the busy road.
A Lexus SUV with NSW registration plates was later set alight on Robinvale Avenue in Thomastown.
A white Toyota Corolla hatchback was seen fleeing the scene of the car fire.
A car of the same make with stolen plates was later located on Dakota Court in Thomastown, with police making inquiries to determine whether it was the same vehicle.
Police spent much of the night examining both crime scenes.
Mahoneys Road was closed in both directions overnight but has since re-opened.
Elias Serevetas was the father of George 'Snowman' Serevetas (pictured), who has previously been linked to underworld figure Kaz Hamad
A burnt-out car was found 3km away on Robinvale Ave in Thomastown a short time later
The getaway car was later set alight on Robinvale Avenue in Thomastown
The gunman remains on the run as police investigations continue.
It was the fifth shooting in Melbourne within the last fortnight.
On October 15, Mohammed Al-Bdairi was shot dead at his Wollert home in what police said was linked to organised crime.
On September 6, Daniel Hussein, 22, was killed during gunfire in Thomastown after what police said was an altercation in a car park.
A month earlier, alleged gangland figure Fadi Haddara was left critically injured after being shot outside his Altona North home.
Anyone with information or relevant footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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