Former UFC star Suman Mokhtarian was gunned down in a "brazen" broad daylight shooting while on a walk in Sydney, police said, months after surviving an attempt on his life.
The 33-year-old was shot dead in a "targeted" attack in Riverstone, a suburb in Sydney's northwest on Wednesday evening, according to New South Wales Police.
A short time after the shooting, two cars were found on fire in different locations – a hallmark of recent organised crime hits that have rattled the city.
"It's very brazen, and it's a shame that this is happening in our community," NSW Police superintendent Jason Joyce said at a press conference.
"You'd want to think that in a residential area that people could wander the streets at that time of night and be safe, but we do believe it's a targeted attack," he said.
Local media reported that Mokhtarian had survived an attempt on his life last February, when a gunman fired on him outside a gym in Sydney's west.
The UFC star fought twice in 2018 and 2019 before moving into coaching, according to ESPN.
He helped develop some of Australia's top mixed martial arts prospects at a gym in Sydney's west, the publication said.
A local who only identified himself by his first name, Ben, said he was walking with his wife when he heard a gunshot.
"It was around then, when we heard a bang as well, and a lot of smoke went up in the air...that would have been the car," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"There was a large commotion, a lot of people were just shocked because they've never witnessed anything like this."
"The shooting happened with children literally riding bikes around the park."
The incident came a day after police foiled a "kill team" bearing firearms, balaclavas, body-worn cameras and jerrycans on the way to a daycare centre.
Police are investigating if the two incidents are linked.